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"‘Forgot to tell you the other day that besides playing the Jew's Harp, Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time.'" (P.98)

The speaker of this excerpt is fellow friend and neighbour, Miss Maudie, who is having a conversation with Scout and Jem. Miss Maudie's words were uttered shortly after Atticus had shot a mad dog, Tom Johnson, with a rifle. To his own displeasure, Atticus' heroic performance was before his stunned family, his neighbourhood, and even the sheriff of Maycomb, Heck Tate.
Through Miss Maudie's playful remark, this passage is valuable in revealing an important theme. It unravels the theme that manhood is not determined by one's ability to use a gun, but by a person's mind and character. Atticus has not told his children about his talents with a shotgun because he wants to demonstrate to his children that one's integrity and intellect rises above any "macho" physical abilities one might have. Mr. Finch wants his kids—especially Jem—to......

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Approximate Word Count: 279
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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