Judge Paul Heath Till’s explanation of Southern civility is reflected in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird in various ways. It is shown by the way the folks of Maycomb County Alabama dress and the way they speak. Southerners need to have respect for others and possess their social class. Their family name can have a good reputation when they address elders with respect and maintain a nice appearance. Southerners prefer to be well known for their positive traits and not their negative traits.
Till’s explanation of the way a Southerner should dress is that they need to look clean and sharp. If you have a dirty or messy appearance, bystanders will make a negative evaluation of you, which could lead to a bad reputation of your family name throughout the town. Miss Maudie Atkinson in To Kill a Mockingbird is a typical Southern woman that dresses and acts like many other Southern women of their time. In the novel, it states “Miss Maudie hated her house. Time spent indoors was time wasted. She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but after her five o’clock bath she would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty” (Lee 42). In other words, Miss Maudie appears to be a Southern woman to the public eye. Aunt Alexandra
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Southerners usually address people they are talking to with either “Sir” or “Ma’am.” In To Kill a Mockingbird, the people of Maycomb County address their elders with proper titles as a sign of respect. In the text, when Scout was in school talking with Miss Caroline Fisher, she addressed her as “Ma’am.” Burris Ewell addressed her as “Missus” and another boy in the class called her “Ma’am.” For example, the students don't call their teacher by name, Miss Fisher, because that isn't showing her enough respect. Southern civility has the same view on showing respect in how one