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How does Miss Maudie feel about her house's destruction in To Kill a Mockingbird, and what does it reveal about her values?
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After the fire in To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss Maudie has a positive outlook on her unfortunate situation and is glad that her home burned down. She views this as an opportunity to have a smaller home and a bigger yard, which suits her needs perfectly. Her optimistic personality reveals that she values health, safety, and friendships over material objects.
Miss Maudie has an optimistic outlook on her seemingly tragic situation and looks at the bright side of losing her home. Miss Maudie prefers to spend her time outdoors catering to her flowers and has always hated her home. Following her house fire, Jem and Scout offer their condolences and are surprised to find Miss Maudie in a good, upbeat mood. Miss Maudie comments that she is not grieving and views this as an opportunity to build a smaller home, which would allow her to have the "finest yard in Alabama." Scout is perplexed by Miss Maudie's positive response to her unfortunate situation and says,
Miss Maudie puzzled me. With most of her possessions gone and her beloved yard a shambles, she still took a lively and cordial interest in Jem's and my affairs.
Miss Maudie mentions that she only feels bad about "all the danger and commotion it [the...
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house fire] caused" and is genuinely concerned about her neighbors' well-being. Although she is thankful for all the help she received from her neighbors, Miss Maudie worries about Mr. Avery's condition and plans on making him a Lane cake when everything settles down.
Miss Maudie's positive attitude and concern for her neighbors reveal that she values personal health and meaningful friendships over materialistic possessions. Unlike most local women, Miss Maudie is not concerned about her status, objects, or property. She simply enjoys the outdoors, treasures her flowers, and is thankful for her friends.
Similar to Atticus, Miss Maudie is a genuine, selfless woman who is pragmatic and inherently optimistic. Miss Maudie recognizes that health, safety, and friendships are significantly more important than material items, which is why she remains optimistic after her home burns down. She is able to view the unfortunate situation as an opportunity to have a bigger yard but is more concerned about the health and well-being of her neighbors involved in the incident.
When her house is destroyed, Miss Maudie does not mourn over her loss. The things she lost were just possessions which could be replaced. She was glad no one was hurt and that the fire did not spread. She was a pragmatic character who knew the value of life over the value of possessions. Life continued, and it was a blessing. The most important thing to her was the outpouring of care and help offered by her neighbors even to Boo Radley wrapping a blanket around a cold child at the scene.