Who Is Miss Maudie's Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

Many children have adults in their lives who influence the way they turn out in the future. These people can affect the children in negative or positive ways. Scout learns the importance of respect from Calpurnia, the ways of the world, how to live life to the fullest, and walking in someone else’s shoes to understand them throughout the entirety of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee truly portrays Scout’s coming of age by using the character’s Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Atticus as very important role models in Scout’s life.

Calpurnia is an ideal influence for Scout’s coming of age moments. She teaches Scout the importance of manners, and treating people with respect. When Walter Cunningham comes to eat lunch with Scout and Jem one day, Scout

She teaches her to live life to the fullest and the ways of Maycomb. There are many interactions between Scout and Miss Maudie and all of them are positive. Scout is guided by Miss Maudie’s manner and looks up to her. When she is first introduced, Miss Maudie is described as, “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 56). Scout loves that Maudie is able to get her hands dirty during the day and become ladylike at night, and nobody judges her for it. She inspires Scout to be who she wants to be, and shows that dresses are not required to be a lady. During one of the many meetings on Miss Maudie’s porch, she tells Scout, “You are too young to understand it … but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of ― oh, of your father,”(Lee 60). Scout immediately jumps to Atticus’s defense, saying that he has never drunk at all except for one time when he tried it and realized he didn’t like it. Miss Maudie laughs and explains that what she meant was, “If Atticus Finch drank until he was drunk he wouldn’t be as hard as some men are at their best,”(Lee 60). Some men try to use the Bible to justify their horrible actions against others. Miss Maudie is explaining this to Scout, though Scout only kind of

He tells her to use proper language, not to swear, and many other lessons to make her appear more respectable. He also helps her learn to understand others by looking through their eyes. At one point, Atticus asks Scout if she is ready to read, and Scout tries to convince Atticus that she is sick, so she will not have to go to school. Atticus figures she is making it up, so he tells her he will give her some medicine and she can go to bed and go to school the next day. Scout admits she feels fine and Atticus asks her what is wrong. She tells him that her teacher, Miss Caroline, says that they cannot read together anymore because she is too advanced for her age. Atticus responds with, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,”(Lee 39). Though Scout does not fully understand the concept of this lesson, it slowly comes to her as the book advances. She is able to make many connections using what Atticus taught her, and she truly understands the meaning of standing in another person’s shoes. Scout still tries to convince Atticus that she doesn’t need to go to school. Her defense is that the Ewell’s don’t go to school. Atticus tries to explain their situation to Scout and she still doesn’t understand. He tries to simplify it by saying, “You, Miss Scout Finch, are of the common folk. You must obey the law,”(Lee 40). Later in the