Scout wants to worry right from the beginning when she is woken up and told that Miss Maudies house is on fire but Jem tells her it’s not the time to worry, although he may be scared he never shows it because he doesn’t want to worry Scout. This is also a form of moral courage because he is worrying but he doesn’t show it because he doesn’t want Scout to worry. He is also trying to be like Atticus and take care of her. But when the smoke starts rolling on the Finch’s house Scout starts to worry, not about any of their possessions but about that book that Dill left at their house.
This in a way is also moral courage because she is nothing thinking about her self she is thinking about Dill and how upset he will be If his book is burnt. Also I think she wants the book because it reminds her of Dill.
At one point someone puts a blanket over Scouts shoulders but neither Jem nor Scout realise until they get home. Atticus wonders where she got the blanket from, it all starts to fit in and they realise that Boo Radley puts the blanket over her shoulders. Atticus tells them to take it back to him but Jem refuses and says “Atticus, no sir!……..Mr Nathan put cement in that tree, Atticus an’ he did it to stop us findin’ things – he’s crazy, I reckon, like they say but Atticus I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us……”
Jem doesn’t want Atticus to take the blanket back because he knows if they do Boo Radley will get in trouble for going out of the house and they will have no contact with him again. Scout never realises who they are talking about until Atticus says “…….Some day, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up” Scout then asks “Thank who?” and Atticus replies “Boo Radley, you were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t realise or know when he put the blanket around you” Scout is very surprised about it but when she hears it she feels sick that Boo Radley was so close to her.
The whole town of Maycombe helps with the fire and everyone gets involved and tries to help no matter what the risk. Mr Avery stays in the house until the very end and very nearly gets stuck in the window because he is such a large man, that is a form of courage as well because it proves that he is trying so hard to save something that isn’t even his. People from outside Maycombe also help out, three fire trucks turn up from sixty miles away so it shows how much the community worked together in those days.
The whole of the fire scene not one black person is mentioned in helping out with the fire because black people did not live with the whites. While her house is burning down Miss Maudie remains very calm about the whole thing, although we never hear what she says or does throughout the fire but after she seems very calm and doesn’t seem to mind that all her possessions are gone. All she cares about is that she is alive and well. So in that respect she shows great moral courage.
In many ways the fire scene is very important scene in the novel, it shows a lot of things about the people of Maycombe and how they react. One thing it also shows is that the age gap between Jem and Scout showing more and more. Jem acts a lot more grown up than Scout in the way he looks after her, and tries to act like Atticus does. This scene shows the most moral courage in the novel and in many ways is the most important scene in my opinion.
