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Compare Atticus And Calpurnia's Relationship In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In the coming-of-age novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee explores the topic of trust, demonstrating how healthy relationships are built on trust and mutual respect and how a lack of the aforementioned can alienate an individual from society. Atticus and Calpurnia trust each other and have a good, healthy relationship as a result. In contrast, Aunt Alexandra views Calpurnia with suspicion, solely because she is a black woman. She even goes as far as insinuating that she should leave the household. In response, Atticus reaffirms, “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 …show more content…

Because of Ewell’s reputation, society does not trust him. Even the normally polite and courteous Atticus even refers to him and his family as “the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 30). They live in a dump, and “they were people, but they lived like animals” (Lee 30). The Ewells’ previous actions resulted in them being referred to as the “disgrace” of the entire town, meaning that they are not trusted and are looked down upon. Because of this, Bob Ewell does not have a good relationship with the society around him. Atticus continues, “The Ewells were members of an exclusive society made of Ewells” (Lee 30). Even though the Ewells live in the same town as everyone else, they are still set apart, with Atticus even referring to their family as part of an “exclusive society” that is separate from those around them. Setting a bad example leads to a loss of trust which alienates someone from society. Townspeople such as Atticus do not even see people such as Bob Ewell as functional members of

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