To Kill A Mockingbird Calpurnia Character Traits

Calpurnia does a lot more than what she is hired for. She cooks and teaches Scout how to write. The Finches are very grateful to have Calpurnia, however, since she is a black women in a white household, injustice rise. Aunt Alexandra is racist and because she is family, she has some authority in the Finches house. One day Aunt Alexandra overheard Scout telling a story to Atticus about the time she visited Calpurnia’s black church, and Scout was invited to go to Calpurnia’s house. Aunt Alexandra blurted in the middle of the conversation a denial for Scout to go. “She promised me I could come out to her house some afternoon. Atticus, I’ll go next Sunday… can I?... “You may not.” Aunt Alexandra said it.” (Lee 154) This initiated a clash with Scout. Scout turned disgruntled and “the only way I could retire with a shred of dignity was to go to the bathroom.” (Lee 154-155) Then a fight between Atticus and Aunt Alexandra occur, where Aunt Alexandra wants to get rid of Calpurnia, however, Atticus disagree. This notion of having blacks cannot be with white people is unrighteous. Therefore, having Calpurnia around did not solve the inequity done by Aunt Alexandra. A way to solve this injustice is by adding social capital and cultural capital of the Finches ideology onto Aunt Alexandra. Thus, making Aunt Alexandra accepting of

Calpurnia, the Finch’s maid was viewed by many to be a poor black woman. In reality she was very smart and assumed the role of a white mother to the Finch children. She tried to teach them manners, proper etiquette, and how to read and write. These were not necessarily things that a black woman would be expected to do, but it helped her to maintain a good job with the Finch’s. An example of Calpurnia going back to following

Calpurnia was with them through all the years of them growing up. She was the one to give motherly advice, and listen to all the troubles the children may have. In this way, I believe Calpurnia was motherly. Although Calpurnia has children of her own, she cares for Scout and Jem like they were also her children. She bathed them, dressed them, fed them, and took poll of how their day was every evening. " 'I don't want nobody sayin' I don't look after my children,' she muttered." (118) Calpurnia definitely acted like a mother towards Scout and

Calpurnia is Jem and Scouts mother figure, because their mother died due to a sudden heart attack. Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church, First Purchase, and introduces them to the fact that not all black people are bad people. She shows courage because it’s nerve racking to bring 2 white children to an all black church. Calpurnia says, “I don’t want anybody sayin’ I don’t look after my children” (Lee pg. 118). Calpurnia takes pride in Jem and Scout and shows a massive amount of courage taking these children to her type of life, and to her church. She teaches these kids that it’s not always the right thing to do what everybody else is doing. Calpurnia looks after these children and takes them in as her own when she is told to.

Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch has a level-headed and just personality, whilst his family’s cook, Calpurnia, is strong-headed and critical. Although differences in their characters set them apart, what brings them together is their equal, passionate love and care for the Finch children. Through different methods, both Atticus and Calpurnia make positive impacts on the children’s lives through lessons, lectures and experiences. Thus, though bearing strikingly different personalities, what makes Atticus and Calpurnia similar is that they both have the the best intentions for the Finch children and work hard to mold them into young, respectable adults.

Atticus says, "Thank you for my children, Arthur."(Lee,370). Mr. Arthur Radley, even though he does not know Jem and Jean Louise, saves them. Arthur looks out for Atticus' kids even though they are only neighbors. In chapter 8, Ms. Maudie's house is devoured in flames. The entire neighborhood helps retrieve the not burning furniture, and help push the fire truck. Again in chapter 12, Cal says, "How'd you and Mister Jem like to come to church with me tomorrow?"(Lee,156). Even though Calpurnia just helps around the Finch household and isn't of any blood, she shows love to Jem and Scout. Cal didn't have to take Jem and Scout to church with her, instead she offered to because she was looking out got Atticus. The love that everyone shows throughout "To Kill a Mockingbird", is done out of pure respect for one

Calpurnia is a proud, educated black women who works;as the help, in the home of Atticus Finch. She is very fortunate to have the ability to read and write, however, this is also unfortunate in the fact that because she is literate she is now caught between two

I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and I am on page 188. This book is about Scout, Dill, and Jem finding a mad dog named Tim Johnson. Atticus shoots it and they learn that he was the best shot in Maycomb county when he was younger. Jem gets mad at Mrs. Dubose and wrecks her camellias because she says bad things about Atticus. He has to read to her everyday for two hours as a punishment. Dill does not come back to Maycomb in the summer, and Atticus takes on Tom Robinson’s case. Aunt Alexandra comes to stay with the Finches. In this journal I will be evaluating.

The relationship between Calpurnia and Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is interesting because in spite of their love-hate relationship Calpurnia is the closest figure to a mother both Scout and Jem have. We get to know Calpurnia through Scout’s eyes as a mother-like figure who is hard on Scout in some situations and loving in others. We get to see the tough, bossy, and strict side as well as the soft, nurturing, kind and motherly side. Even though she is just an African American housekeeper, she has been a member of the Finch’s Family and means much more as she is one of the few black people in Maycomb who is educated. She teaches Scout to write during rainy days as well as carrying the responsibility of teaching Scout and Jem

Jem and Scout learn a great quantity of lessons through their father and maid at home. Outside, they pick up insightful messages through their neighbors. Although children are unable to choose their parents and siblings, they are able to choose the people they look up to. The surrounding role models are important to them, for they shape the child’s values and morals and guide them through bumps in

Jean Louise “Scout” Finch is a 6 year old girl at the start of the book and grows on us as a sophisticated, cultivated and cultured young woman as we reach the start of part 2. A slim girl, with short dark brown hair, Scout was a tomboy who loved to hang out with her brother, Jem, and Dill. A large fragment of the first part focuses on her virtuousness and incorruptibility. Her first day in school tested the very bases of her youth and innocence. After Miss Caroline repeatedly asks Walter Cunningham to take a few coins and buy himself lunch, Scout stood up and tried explaining the Cunningham’s poverty but unfortunately could not do so. At last she could not control her anger and asks the teacher to stop ‘shamin’ him [as he] hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring’ to school (Chapter 2, Page 28). She also asks miss Maudie why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird and learns that there is no reason to kill an innocent bird that ‘sing their heart out for’ them (Chapter 10, Page 119).

Calprina is another mother figure in scout life, she cook’s for the family, and try to show Scout the right from wrong: “It was then that Calpurnia requested my presence in the kitchen. She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic. When in tranquility, her grammar was as good as anybody’s in Maycomb. Atticus said Calpurnia had more education than most colored folks. When she squinted down at me the tiny lines around her eyes deepened. “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?”Calprina(Lee,13) Scout immatureness got the best of her and was rude to Walter Cunningham’s but did not mean it. Calprina tried showing Scout that if people that were raised differently sitting at the same table then you do not be rude to whatever their doing because you would not understand, you are raised differently. Here is an example of Miss Maudie choice to defend Scout in a group full of women: “That Stephanie’s a card,” somebody said. Miss Stephanie was encouraged to pursue the subject: “Don’t you want to grow up to be a lawyer?” Miss Maudie’s hand touched mine and I answered mildly enough, “Nome, just a lady.”Miss Maudie (Lee,122) Like Atticus Scout father she gives advice and listens to.

“Our Mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absences.” In the beginning of Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird a young girl named Scout portrays a character like no other. Scout plays a cheery, imaginative, curious, tough, and a bit of a tomboy at the same time sort of character. She lives in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama with her older brother and father, but no mother. Having no major female influence in her life, other than their housekeeper/caregiver Scout had a close relationship with her brother and preferred to run around on the dirt roads, climb trees and do just about anything that the average little boy enjoyed doing instead or acting more like a girl. She lacks the understanding of southern edict and tends to get

The kids are ashamed of their dad because he does not do things that other “cool” dads do. The kids are further ashamed when Miss Maudie says he plays the Jew’s Harp and is more obviously shown when Atticus says he is too old to play football and when he says he hates guns. He refuses to teach them to shoot their new air-rifles. Then, amidst all of this talk of having an embarrassing dad, he is handed a rifle from a police officer to shoot a mad dog. Jem almost fainted from the thought of his dad shooting a gun. The officer said that he was not a skilled marksman compared to Atticus and it showed, as Atticus shot him and Tim Johnson did not know what hit him. According to Miss Maudie, Atticus was the deadest shot in the county back in his day. After realizing what a talented shooter for a father they have, the kids, and especially Jem, are not so ashamed of Atticus’ uniqueness from other kids’ fathers. Calpurnia also has two sides to her. When at home, Calpurnia talks like the rest of the family does and seems to fit in perfectly with everybody in the home. While at church, as the kids experienced, Cal started talking like all of the Black folks. Cal said she would be out of place when with her peers at church and elaborated that the children would also be out of of place at home if they talked like colored folks. In conclusion, people are not always who they seem to