Some people simply find themselves at home with nature more than people. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch’s long time neighbor, Miss Maudie loves her azaleas and flowers and seems to fit in with them more than with the town. Her family has known the Finches for many, many years, but until recently, Jem and Scout have never really known her. After they become friends and begin to spend more time with her, however, they realize that Miss Maudie proves much more than just a plant loving neighbor. In fact, her sarcastic, trustworthy, and wise qualities make her a more complex, compelling character. In her simple house and quiet life, she uses these characteristics knowingly and unknowingly to touch the lives of those around her.

Not long after meeting Miss Maudie, one can quickly recognize her extraordinary sarcasm. Though not one to gossip or meddle in other’s affairs, Miss Maudie never fails to state her mind or reproach a gossiper in a witty statement or two when she feels it appropriate. In fact, while in a …show more content…
She may prove acid-tongued at moments, however, her uprightness and sense of right and wrong remain uncompromised. Consequently, she finds an especially trusted place in the neighborhood and Finch family. For example, during one of Aunt Alexandra’s missionary meetings, Atticus interrupts them and says “Alexandra could you come to the kitchen a minute?” (314). When Aunt Alexandra, Scout, and Calpurnia make their way to the kitchen to eventually discuss the grievous news of the death of the recently convicted defendant, Tom Robinson, Miss Maudie also enters into the kitchen and on the conversation. This attendance portrays that though not a member of the family, the Finches have confidence in her as they do in those of the household. Therefore, Miss Maudie’s dependability positions her in the class of a reliable