I have always thought of Miss Maudie as someone Scout will be like when she grows up. Miss Maudie is a little eccentric but open-minded and a friend to Scout and Jem. She is a teacher to the children like Atticus , and she has a profound influence on...
See This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
particularly Scout because she lets Scout be whoever she wants to be. Her advice is wise and non-judgmental throughout the novel as she teaches Scout and Jem about their father (ol’ one shot Finch) and life (why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird) and loss (houses can be replaced after a fire) in Maycomb.
A chameleon is a lizard that can change its color to adapt to its environment. In the novel, Scout notes that during the day Miss Maudie can wear overalls in her garden and then become a fine lady in the evening. She is able to adapt to society’s values and expectations while also being true to herself. Scout also learns this lesson when she finds her place in the world between being a tomboy and being a lady through Aunt Alexandra’s insistence.
Miss Maudie is a female “Atticus” and role model to Scout in teaching her how to be herself yet be able to adapt to situations and to change her ideas when necessary. Miss Maudie’s ability to fit in and still maintain her values and integrity cause her to be a “chameleon” who changes with society’s expectations.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, what does Scout mean when she says that Miss Maudie is a "chameleon lady"?
A chameleon is a distinctive lizard, very unique and therefore different from everything around it. However, it has the ability to blend into its surroundings, going unnoticed. To Kill A Mockingbird exposes racial prejudice in Maycomb County and the tragic consequences of using race to define a person according to a stereotype. The "folks" prejudge Tom Robinson and their hypocrisy is blatant and cruel.
Miss Maudie is kind to the children, allowing them to play in her yard as long as they are careful not to disturb her precious azaleas. She is most comfortable in her garden and considers time indoors as "wasted." Scout describes her as "a widow, a chameleon lady," in chapter 5, with a "benign presence," because she knows that Miss Maudie is not like the others in the town, and Scout recognizes her as an individual with a quiet determination - apparent in her assault on the "nut grass" which is treated as if it is almost like an "Old Testament pestilence." Scout also appreciates her kind attention towards the children who learn that she can also bake cakes, "a talent ... hitherto kept hidden;" again revealing her chameleon-like characteristics. Miss Maudie wishes no ill-will against anyone and this contrasts sharply with most of the reproachful and discriminatory residents of the town.
Scout recognizes how different Miss Maudie is from, for example, Miss Crawford. Although they are both Baptists, Miss Crawford is what Miss Maudie describes as a "foot-washing" Baptist and she even criticizes Miss Maudie because she spends more time in her garden when apparently she should be indoors reading her Bible. Scout considers Miss Maudie her "friend," not interested in the children's "private lives," revealing more of her unassuming, chameleon-like charactersistics, whereas Miss Crawford cannot be trusted.