How significant is the relationship between Miss Maudie and the children in the novel as a whole?

Miss Maudie has a relationship with the children that is much closer than that of a neighbour. In general, she, along with Calpurnia, takes on the role of their replacement mother. This is shown in many ways, such as her insights into details of Atticus life, her position as a role model for Scout, various events such as the house fire and tea parties, as well as more minor things, such as how she gives cake to the children, and her reaction to their snowman. She also takes charge of a significant part of their educations, that being a significant theme in the novel. Overall, these combined allow her a significant effect on the storyline of the novel as a whole, as she is one of the main examples of many themes. The first of these is her insights into Atticus previous life, before the children were born. This was first shown when Jem and Scout complained to her about how Atticus can t do anything , to which she responds with You d be surprised , then proceeds to defend him. This is also shown just a few pages later, after the mad dog has been shot, when she asks if Scout still think(s) your father can t do anything? With this, Miss Maudie is shown to be helping in their informal, out of school, education, as well as introducing the idea that Bravery is not a man with a gun , which becomes a main theme later on in the novel. She is also a role model for Scout, especially when Jem and Dill go off on their own, leaving Scout behind, in chapter 5. Being marginalised from most of Jem s plans, Scout goes to spend most of the remaining twilights that summer sitting with Miss Maudie . During this time, they discuss much, such as Miss Maudie s hatred of nutgrass, Uncle Jack s oddities, and Boo Radley. As well as introducing various themes, such as hinting that Boo Radley is actually the victim of severe libel by the other residents, and is maybe not all he seems, this shown her position as a replacement mother, because she spends large amounts of time explaining society in general, as well as specific misunderstandings and points of confusion for Scout, as a mother would often do for a daughter. She is also shown to be a role model for Scout during the scene of the teaparty, when she tries to ease Scout into society with the Maycombe women, as well as defending her from the others when they try to make fun of her, such as when Miss Stephanie makes a joke of her tomboyishness. She intercedes as well when the other ladies of Maycombe attempt to put forward an obviously discriminatory view, as if to protect Scout from such unpleasantness and corruption. This is shown when she metaphorically destroys Mrs Merriweather in argument.

Another event that showed how significant Miss Maudie is to the novel as a whole, and particularly her relationship to the children, is the house fire, where her house burns down, and particularly the aftermath. During the fire, all the villagers come to watch as her house burns down, and the Finch s house almost catches too. This may be a subtle metaphor for the children s dependence on Miss Maudie, and the effect she has on their lives, but this is likely just used to add drama. After the fire, Miss Maudie s relationship with the children is also shown by how she makes an effort to put on a brave face for them, as shown when she says Always wanted a smaller house . This is despite her clearly being perturbed by the destruction of her house, due to her lack of financial means to obtain an equal replacement, she being a single woman, and therefore, as was common at the time, did not have a job. This is also shown through the text when she is said to give a shadow of her former grin , suggesting that although she is smiling for the children, the full force of happiness is not present. This shows her position as a surrogate mother, as she is, much like many parents, trying not to let their children see them cry, and to reassure them that all is well. Her relationship is also shown by another seemingly minor event; when it snows, the children build a snowman. She reacts to this as many mothers would do, such as with mock outrage at the use of her hat and gloves to modify the look of the snowman. She also shares a joke with Atticus about the ambiguous nature of the gender of the snowman, calling it a morphodite , and laughing when Scout offers to bring her painkillers, having misinterpreted this. This is an exchange that is often repeated between parents, when their children do something amusing. Her surrogate mother position is also shown after the trial, when she gives them cake, as usual. During this meeting, she gives Jem a slice of the big cake, instead of a separately baked cupcake. This is significant because all throughout the novel so far, she has given all of the children small cupcakes, while leaving the larger cake to herself and other adults. That she is giving Jem a slice of the big cake, signifies that she is acknowledging him as a young adult, as he has, in her view, matured sufficiently due to the events of the past weeks and months to be worthy of this recognition. This shows her to be taking a part in Jem s education, almost as if she is giving him a qualification after imparting many years worth of wisdom to him. It also shows her role as a surrogate parent, once again highlighting the theme of family, as what she does is something often taken care of by the mother and the father of a newly of age child. In conclusion, it is clear that Miss Maudie s relationship with the children is that of a surrogate mother, and is very important in the novel as it highlights a number of the main themes of the book, namely courage, education and family. As well as these

themes, there are many points in the storyline where she makes an impact on the direction that the narrative takes.