Calpurnia enters into the story very early on in To Kill a Mockingbird, and is an integral part in the story. She works for the Finch family as their cook and mother figure.…
Calpurnia’s most kindly asset, though, is her ability to understand other people. Sometimes, from Scout’s point of view, the family cook seemed to have a sixth sense. “Perhaps Calpurnia sensed that my day had been a grim one: she let me watch her fix supper”(38). Knowing that Scout’s day had been rough, Calpurnia, with her mother-like tenderness, tried to console her the best way she knew how. Calpurnia also understood the children’s problems with each other. When Scout and Jem started to not get along as well, Calpurnia understood and was kinder to both of…
Calpurnia is very respectful towards Atticus and his kids. For instance, she calls Jem Mister and always shows kindness towards Atticus. In contrast, Alexandra tries to tell Atticus how to raise his children and run the house. In the text it states, “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire.” (81). This shows how she wants to raise the children differently than Atticus has. Furthermore, Calpurnia and Alexandra have similar character traits because they both believe a child should grow up with limits. For instance, Calpurnia raised the children to listen to what she and Atticus tell them as well as Alexandra while she stays with the Finch family. Their character traits are one way to compare and contrast Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra.…
The most important lesson that the children, particularly Scout, learn is to never judge a person before you know them, something that can definitely be applied to our own lives as well. This is enunciated through the example of Walter Cunningham, who dines at the Finch’s house, following an invitation from Jem after discovering Walter did not have lunch. After witnessing Walter drench his lunch in molasses, Scout expresses her disapproval. As Scout is reprimanded in the kitchen, Calpurnia states that "Company gets treated politely no matter who they are". This is a fundamental teaching for Scout, as she realises that indeed all people deserve equality and justice. This is further emphasised through the fact that Calpurnia is an African American…
Calpurnia shows the significance of perspective to both Scout and Jem through her actions with both a young child and an adult. One afternoon, Walter Cunningham comes over for dinner and Scout makes fun of him for pouring syrup on his food. Calpurnia takes Scout aside and scolds her for being rude. Calpurnia says, “There’s some folks who don’t eat like us, but you are ain’t called on to contradict ‘em at the table when they don’t” (Lee 24). Calpurnia tells Scout not to make fun of people who behave differently. Calpurnia knows that Scout has a higher standard…
Individuals who have read the novel To Kill A Mockingbird may believe that Tom Robinson is symbolized by the mockingbird because he was an innocent, honest, respectable man who was willing to help whomever he could.…
The last person that is like a part of the family, is Calpurnia. She is African American and even though the society considers her as a servant for the household, the Finches never treat her like one. I think that Calpurnia is like Scout and Jem’s mother, she acts to be strict but I can see how much she loves them. Once she even offered us lemonade, which was delicious and I appreciated her for it. In my opinion, Calpurnia is a loyal and loving person.…
Calpurnia - Calpurnia is the Finches housekeeper however, she is much more to the family and acts as a mother figure to Jem and Scout, as she raised them after their mother’s death. Calpurnia is a strong influence in Jem and Scout’s lives. Calpurnia is the first black women the children have ever interacted with and she serves between the black and white worlds of Maycomb.…
It can express how people feel about one another and can also teach someone a lesson. The meal scene in To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates the different social classes and also reveals some growth in the character Scout. When Scout calls out Walter for drowning his meal in syrup, she is scolded by Calpurnia for being rude and disgracing their company. The meal scene with Walter, Atticus, Scout, and Calpurnia teaches Scout the importance of not being quick to judge or discriminate against someone, while also teaching her manners. This important meal also foreshadows the court case that Atticus takes later on in the novel and it also begins to show the incredible moral lessons Atticus teaches his…
There are many people in To Kill a Mockingbird that have significant influences of Scout and Jem's actions. The two that stood out boldly to me, however, were Atticus and Calpurnia. Atticus, being the children's father, tought his kids many moral lessons. Calpurnia acted as a mother to Jem and Scout. Throughout every chapter these two characters…
A lesson taught by Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird is that you should never kill a mockingbird because they only create music and harm nothing. What Atticus meant by this is that you should never hurt an innocent person no matter the situation. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird the mockingbird symbolizes all that is innocent and all that is harmless in society. Harper Lee uses two characters to show the innocence in people and to show how this innocence is often killed: Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. The theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, that often the innocent are harmed by the wicked unjustly and intentionally, only to be saved by the brave and intelligent, who try hard to show society who these people really are is clearly articulated throughout the novel by the use of the symbolism of the mockingbird infused in the…
Earnest Hemingway states that “all things truly wicked start from innocence.” This quote applies to Mayella Ewell as she corrupted herself and her innocence throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Though Mayella may seem wholesome, she is a wolf in sheep’s clothing due to her part in the death of a virtuous, innocent man and then her part in the tormenting of the dead man’s wife. In chapter twenty-five, Scout realizes that “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed,” (Lee 323) while she was pondering how a clearly innocent man could be tried as guilty (Lee 323). This quote illustrates how Mayella seemingly did worse than kill a man; she also had him declared guilty of a false crime, staining his reputation. To outsiders it will seem as if he was righteously killed, and what…
Firstly, Scout and Jem Finch learn the following lesson: don’t judge people by your own standards, especially when you are more privileged than they are. In Maycomb County, many people were poorer than the Finch’s were. For example, a specific family, the Cunningham’s, were known all around Maycomb for being one of the lowliest families. When Walter, one of the Cunningham children, went over to the Finch’s house for dinner one afternoon, he began pouring molasses all over his food. Pouring the hot syrupy mixture on food must have been a custom in the Cunningham family, but Scout, however, thought it was disgusting. In front of everyone at the dinner table, including her father and Calpurnia, their maid, Scout began to protest the fact that he had drowned his dinner in syrup, and that it was highly repulsive. Upon hearing Scout’s blatant distaste, Calpurnia pulled Scout into the kitchen to yell at her. Calpurnia told Scout that when they have company, she must be respectful of their ways, since not everyone eats like they do. When Scout…
Calpurnia is the Finches house keeper, mother figure and disciplinarian in the house hold Calpurnia is another character that was being treated cruelly, when Alexandra first arrived at the Finches house, Calpurnia was not greeted properly, she was greeted with an order “Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia.” (Lee 169) Alexandra thought Calpurnia was not worth greeting as a human and treated her as a servant. Alexandra was not a fond of Calpurnia and wanted her to be sent away, “Alexandra, Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn't have got along without her all these years. She's a faithful member of this family and you'll simply have to accept things the way they are” (Lee 138). The reason Alexandra wanted Calpurnia sent away is because she did not want Jem and Scout raised by a black woman but a white…
Miss Maudie is a laid-back woman who has been around for quite a while. She understands what it can be like as a young girl growing up and learning about the world around her. This helps Scout immensely as it gives her someone to turn to. It also helps her learn things from more reliable sources than her friends. For example, when she asks about Boo Radley, Miss Maudie responds, “His name’s Arthur and he’s alive” (Lee 57), with the reasoning that, “he’s alive… because I haven’t seen him carried out yet” (Lee 57). Calpurnia is also a mother figure that Scout has in her life to go to when times get rough. Though there is no blood relation between Scout and Cal, they are very close and grow even more so as the novel progresses. She gives Scout refuge in the kitchen when the boys won’t let her join their games. Kenneth Rubin states, “Friendship promotes the development of perspective taking and moral reasoning skills” (Rubin). At this point in Scout’s life, having good role models like Cal and Miss Maudie is a great benefit to her learning and developing ideas. They are both wise women and teach Scout things in their own ways; though she may not know it now, it impacts the rest of her…