n To Kill A Mockingbird. The southern women in To Kill A Mockingbird are modeled after the women gathered with Aunt Alexandra in the parlor. "Of course when I would run inside for a drink of water, I would find the living room overrun with Maycomb ladies, sipping, whispering, fanning," recalls Scout (132). This was the only acceptable way for a southern woman to live in the 1930's if she did not want to be considered different. Aunt Alexandra is a perfect example of a traditional Southern woman for Scout to learn from. She was "Secretary of the Maycomb Amanuensis Club and a member of the Missionary Society" (129). Scout was up for a major challenge when she acted as a tomboy, never wanting to accept the way Aunt Alexandra lived. Aunt Alexandra perfected the Southern woman image even when she was away from home, "fitting into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove, but never into the world of Jem and me" (131). Even though Aunt Alexandra was a lady she never did connect with the children. Atticus had raised the children as individuals, never following the norm of how to raise children. He taught the children lessons about life and people and not just simply manners. Therefore, since Aunt Alexandra was so proper she never saw things from the children's point of view. Miss Maudie does connect with the children, though, because she does not fit the norm of a Southern woman. The children always look up to her and value everything that she has to say. Miss Maudie's characteristics make her a grown-up version of Scout. She is always in the yard working and never inside of her house playing hostess to other women. Many people criticize Miss Maudie for her actions saying she will go to hell because "she spends too much time in God's outdoors and not enough time inside the house reading the Bible" (44). Miss Maudie is also one of the few people in To Kill A Mockingbird who thinks the same way as Atticus does with that...
