How Does Miss Maudie Influence Scout's Moral Development

In part one of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s moral development shows sponge-like qualities, constantly absorbing new information and perspective from a plethora of characters. There’s no question that the prominent source of her growth comes from Atticus’s teaching of values and beliefs, but there also happens to be another character who provides a significant impact on Scout as well. By presenting views to Scout that contrast those of typical Maycomb society, Miss Maudie provides heavy influence on Scout’s moral development. When Miss Maudie’s house burns down, taking almost everything she owns along with it, it’s clear that she’s going to have to start over from scratch. The Finch family, along with the rest of Maycomb, pitch in to help try and salvage

She says “ ‘Always wanted a smaller house Jem Finch. Gives me more yard. Just think, I’ll have more room for my azaleas now!’ (82)” This statement perplexes Scout because she isn’t used to people in Maycomb adapting positively to change, and making the best of uncontrollable situations. Later in the novel, readers see Scout has picked up this lesson when Cecil Jacobs talks bad about Atticus for the second time. Scout remembers her father telling her about the Tom Robinson case and how she, along with the rest of the Finches, are going to get a lot of negative attention in the months to come. This time, she decides to be accepting of the new change, and doesn’t fight him. She recalls the event saying “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away. (88)” Miss Maudie is a character much ahead of her time. Her views on change oppose the rest of Maycomb’s, and by hanging around with Scout so often, they start to rub off on her. Maycomb is a racist town, and the reason they’ve been that way for so long can partly be attributed to their refusal to accept