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Bob Ewell
The Finches’ neighbor across the street. Miss Maudie is in her 40s and a widow, and she loves to garden but hates her house. She’s a mostly benign presence in Scout’s life until Jem and Dill begin excluding her, at which point Scout begins spending more time with Miss Maudie and decides they’re friends after Miss Maudie shows Scout her bridgework (fake teeth). Miss Maudie, like Atticus, has an innate sense of morality and believes that all people deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. She’s adamant that Arthur Radley is just different, not evil, and she suggests that he’s suffered abuse of some kind at home from his overly religious father. Miss Maudie is opinionated and willing to express her views, and as such, often calls out Miss Stephanie and others for gossiping and spreading rumors. Following the trial, Miss Maudie tries to impress upon Jem in particular that Atticus did a necessary and important thing by defending Tom Robinson, even though he knew he wasn’t going to win. She encourages Jem to look for the other people who aren’t all bad or who somehow tried to help Atticus and Robinson.
Miss Maudie Atkinson Quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird
The To Kill a Mockingbird quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Maudie Atkinson or refer to Miss Maudie Atkinson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
“There are just some kind of men who—who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.”
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Chapter 10
Quotes
“Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
“Your father's right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
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Miss Maudie Atkinson Quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird
The To Kill a Mockingbird quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Maudie Atkinson or refer to Miss Maudie Atkinson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
“There are just some kind of men who—who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.”
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Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10
Quotes
“Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
“Your father's right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
Related Characters:
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Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
