What is the significance of juxtaposing Miss Maudie’s house fire with the first snow day in Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 8, Harper Lee juxtaposes the coldest weather Maycomb has experienced since 1885 with Miss Maudie's house fire to foreshadow the upcoming division and conflict among the citizens regarding the Tom Robinson trial. The extremely cold weather and the fire are both destructive natural forces that serve as a portent to the hazardous effects of racism that will negatively influence the community and cause conflict throughout the pleasant, small town. As the Tom Robinson trial approaches, citizens begin to bicker with one another, and they criticize Atticus for defending a black man. During the trial, Maycomb's overt prejudice is exposed, and this prejudice is ultimately responsible for the death of an innocent man. The children also lose their childhood innocence after witnessing racial injustice firsthand. Then, Bob Ewell seeks revenge by attempting to murder Jem and Scout. Overall, Harper Lee's juxtaposition in chapter 8 foreshadows the harmful effects of racism in the typically pleasant quiet town of Maycomb and hints at the upcoming conflict in the community regarding the Tom Robinson trial.


The unusual juxtaposition of fire and snow is significant because it hints at the many conflicts to come. Fire and snow are antithetical forces: they cannot coexist; one must prevail over the other. Yet both are equally destructive in their own way, and their unique combination seems to point towards some kind of trouble, the kind of which Maycomb has never really seen before.
Such unprecedented weather—the first snowfall anyone in town can remember—acts as a portent for the trial of Tom Robinson and the incredibly bitter divisions it will generate. As snow is rare in Maycomb, so too will be the conflicts surrounding the forthcoming trial be exceptional. There's always been conflict in the town, to be sure, but nothing quite like what's about to happen.
When Scout sees the snow, she thinks the world's ending. She's not far wrong, because her carefree innocent life is about to change forever. Fire traditionally represents Hell, so combined with the unseasonal snowfall, we can see why Scout thinks that the world is coming to an end.

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