Role of Calpurnia

What role does Calpurnia play in the novel? Calpurnia is a very important character in Harper Lee's To kill a Mockingbird. This is because she has a very important role in the novel. Calpurnia teaches Jem and Scout many life lessons throughout the book, cleans and cooks like most mothers in the 1930s and acts as a bridge between Negros and whites. All of these actions show that she is a motherly and influential figure in the County of Maycomb. Calpurnia teaches Jem and Scout many life lessons and shows them the way of life during that time. Calpurnia disciplines the child but mostly Scout due to her inexperience with life. Scout says " her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard" (Lee 7) which means that she has been hit many times by Calpurnia. Calpurnia always tells Scout to look at Jem as a role model. Another life lesson Calpurnia teaches to Scout is the way to treat a house guest. Calpurnia says "'There's some folks who don't eat like us.' she whispered fiercely, 'but you ain't called on to contradict' em at the table when they don't. That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?" (Lee 32) teaching Scout not to complain about how other people eats if they don't complain about the way you eat and that complain about how someone eats is rude. Computer also teaches Scout how to write and behave in society. Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church which is similar to a sanctuary for Negros but a place to gamble for whites. Jem notices that Calpurnia speaks differently in the church than whereas in public. Calpurnia talks like all the other Negros showing that she considers herself and would not want to hurt their feelings by act superior. She shows Jem and Scout that you have to fit in with the normal and not try to stand out. The final life lesson that Calpurnia teaches happens when she was delivering the note to Atticus about his missing children. When she takes them home, she scowls at Jem for taking his sister to the trial. She is trying to say that a innocent child should not be faced with the cruel world just yet. Calpurnia teaching the children life lesson helped them become better people. Just like a mother, Calpurnia wants the best for the children. Another reason that Calpurnia is a motherly figure is because of her daily responsibilities. Calpurnia's job was to clean, cook and help the children. Seen from the quote, "We lived on the main residential street in town-Atticus, Jem and I, plus Calpurnia our cook", one can infer that Calpurnia cooks and cleans because cooks need to know where the utensils are and cleans up after they are done cooking. One part that shows that Calpurnia is a motherly figure is that she was there when Jem and Scout were born. Scout says "she had been with us ever since Jem was born, and I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember" (Lee 6). scout's mother died when scout was two so she doesn't remember much of her mother and Calpurnia fills the empty void where her mother is suppose to be. Calpurnia also helped dress the children before church. Atticus has full trust in Calpurnia because he goes to work leaving them in her care. This is exactly the feeling people have when they leave their children with someone that is family. Calpurnia does many things that show her as a mother to the Finch children though her daily activities. Calpurnia is well respected by the children and is their role model. The final reason that Calpurnia is a motherly figure is the fact that she is a bridge between the Negros and whites. Many mothers are the peacekeepers in the family. They calm their husbands not wanting too harsh of a punishment to fall upon their child. Calpurnia shows herself as a true bridge during the mad dog incident. She warned people about the mad dog by going to their doorsteps to tell them and commanding May Eula to forward her message to everyone in the neighbour and Atticus. It is not common for a Negro woman to knock on a white person's door or commanding a white person to do something. This was unethical during the time and was considered to be crossing the boundaries. Another situation where she is a bridge was during the trial. Scout says "she stopped shyly at the railing and waited to get Judge Taylor's attention[...]I hasn't got anything to do with-with the trial" (Lee 276). Aunt Alexandra told her to do that during a very important moment in the county of Maycomb. Aunt Alexandra isn't the sweetest person to Calpurnia and yet Calpurnia goes. This shows that she really want the division between Negros and whites to remain. The finally evidence that Calpurnia was a bridge was when she brought Jem and Scout to her church. Jem and Scout notice that she talks differently at their home than at church. scout realizes "That's Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me" (Lee 167). From this, Calpurnia shows that Negros can live in a white society too. All the evidence that show Calpurnia is a motherly figure. She really cares about the Finch children by teaching and feeding them and additionally, tries to heal the rift between the white and black society so they can have a better future. This shows that Calpurnia is an important character and the book would change dramatically without her.