Why Is Calpurnia Important In To Kill A Mockingbird

Vital

An Instant classic, a book that tells a moving tale for all generations, To Kill A Mocking Bird. This book has many noteworthy characters but few deserve as much recognition as Calpurnia the strict but loveable black house maid. Portraying many things to Jem and Scout, Calpurnia is a strong mother giving them an idea what a mother would be. Following with that role, she defends them as only a true mother could. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Calpurnia is how vital she is in the story, although she is a portrayed minor character. Calpurnia is an interesting character to delve deeper into.

One of the key traits that Calpurnia shows is that of being motherly. Protecting Jem and Scout from anything that may come weather physical or emotional is always her top priority. In turn Jem and Scout view her as their mother, as she is the closest thing that they have to one. Lovingly, Calpurnia shows that she cares about Jem and Scout in a way that goes far beyond what her job requires, even telling a distraught Scout who fears she will never see her brother again “I

Although her main duties include cooking cleaning and watching over the children, she is vital for many other reasons. One of the most important parts of her duties is simply making it so that the children are aware that blacks are not the monsters the rest of Maycomb believes them to be. But perhaps the real reason Atticus hired her is this. She connects him to the black community in an acceptable way, when Atticus receives gifts from the black community he says “Tell them I’m very grateful, he said, tell them- tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard…” Calpurnia provides a wholly acceptable route for Atticus to communicate to the black community and for them to talk to him. This is possibly the most important reason for Calpurnia’s