Foot-Washing Baptists in To Kill a Mockingbird

In this wonderful interaction with a neighbor-turned-friend, the widow Miss Maudie Atikinson, Scout Finch tries to understand why some Baptists, called “foot washers” in the book, seem to shun most of those around them. Maudie does her best to describe the reasoning in language a child can understand. This excerpt has the potential for a multitude of illustrations. There are the divisions that we bring to the church, denominational schisms, scripture reading, friendship, judging, both by the foot-washers and Scout, and then there is the legalism of the foot-washers, and finally how we understand joy and God’s creation. There’s probably plenty more, but each of those themes could be illustrated by this excellent passage by Harper Lee.

“Arthur Radley just stays in the house, that’s all,”’ said Miss Maudie. ‘Wouldn’t you stay in the house if you didn’t want to come out?’ “Yessum, but I’d wanta come out. Why doesn’t he?’ Miss Maudie’s eyes narrowed…‘You know old Mr. Radley was a foot-washing Baptist—’ ‘That’s what you are, ain’t it?’ ‘My shell’s not that hard, child. I’m just a Baptist.’ ‘Don’t you all believe in foot-washing?’ ‘We do. At home in the bathtub.’ ‘But we can’t have communion with you all-‘

Apparently deciding that it was easier to define primitive baptistry than closed communion, Miss Maudie said: ‘Foot-washers believe anything that’s pleasure is a sin. Did you know some of ’em came out of the woods one Saturday and passed by this place and told me me and my flowers were going to hell?’ ‘Your flowers, too?’ “Yes ma’am. They’d burn right with me. They thought I spent too much time in God’s outdoors and not enough time inside the house reading the Bible.’

My confidence in pulpit Gospel lessened at the vision of Miss Maudie stewing forever in various Protestant hells. True enough, she had an acid tongue in her head, and she did not go about the neighborhood doing good, as did Miss Stephanie Crawford. But while no one with a grain of sense trusted Miss Stephanie, Jem and I had considerable faith in Miss Maudie.

She had never told on us, had never played cat-and-mouse with us, she was not at all interested in our private lives. She was our friend… “That ain’t right, Miss Maudie. You’re the best lady I know.” Miss Maudie grinned. “Thank you ma’am. Thing is, foot-washers think women are a sin by definition. They take the Bible literally, you know.” “Is that why Mr. Arthur stays in the house, to keep away from women?” “I’ve no idea.”