How Does Calpurnia Influence Scout's Life

Towards Jem, we see instances in Calpurnia in which she almost seems soft. For example, after Jem wrecks Mrs. Dubose’s camellia, and the kids were skulking around, Calpurnia knew Jem was upset, and gave him a hot biscuit-and-butter. One may argue this is the beginning of a change in Calpurnia, but we may look at it as Cal just being a mom. One can refute the argument of change that Scout is just beginning to see the good side of her and why Cal does what she does. She has already gone through the phases with her own children, and know how it is herself growing up. In the middle of To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem is starting to grow up and is becoming a teenager. This is evident by Scout’s overwhelming frustration with Jem in the quote, “His maddening superiority was unbearable these days. He didn’t want to do anything but read and go off by himself.” (Lee 184) Calpurnia, being the experienced mother/caregiver she is, had seen that, and started giving Jem his space, and started calling him “Mister Jem”. Scout realizes Calpurnia is not as bad as she once thought. Scout realizes Calpurnia can be nice when given the chance.

On the other hand, Aunt Alexandra faced a different but common obstacle, prejudice. Since prejudice was ubiquitous, Aunt Alexandra demonstrated maturity when she became more accepting of others especially Calpurnia, Boo and Scout. Aunt Alexandra, Scout and Jem’s caretaker, had some difficulties interacting and talking around people who were a different race or a lower social or economic class. When Aunt Alexandra first met Calpurnia, the African-American maid who worked in the Finch’s house, she despised her and all of her actions. No matter what Calpurnia did or what she said, she could not please Aunt Alexandra. However, later on in the novel, Aunt Alexandra developed a more accepting attitude towards Calpurnia. She allowed Calpurnia to serve the children dinner. This shows how much Aunt Alexandra has grown to be more accepting of other races and not be prejudice. Not only does Aunt Alexandra accept Calpurnia for who she is, but she also learns to accept Scout. “She brought me something to put on, and had I thought about it then, I would have never let her forget it: in her distraction, Aunty brought me my overalls” (Pg.264).

“Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em if you can't act fit to eat at the table you can just sit here and eat in the kitchen!” This is just one of the many examples Calpurnia sets for the children. Calpurnia is the Finch’s cook but she takes her role in the children’s life more seriously. She acts as parent; constantly teaching the kids lessons about life and race. She serves as a bridge for Jem and Scout between the white and black communities. Calpurnia could be the mother Jem and Scout never had because she is wise, caring, and patient with the kids.

Scout, Jem, and Dill work many summers to try to get Boo to come out of the Radley house for the first time in many years. Jem had been told many things about Boo in his short years in Maycomb, and he tells his sister Scout about the ‘monster’, saying, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (chap. 1). Jem’s ideas about Boo are very biased toward rumors that can be heard around Maycomb. This shows how Maycomb’s people often judge before they know, seeing as no one has seen Boo Radley in over twenty years and people are prejudiced to believing the unknown is always bad. Prejudice and rumors can often not be trusted and Boo Radley is no exception. After Miss Maudie’s house catches fire and half the town rushes outside to watch it burn, Atticus tells Scout, “someday you should thank him for covering you up” then Scout asks, “Thank Who?” And gets a response from Atticus, “Boo Radley. You were too busy looking at the fire, you didn’t even notice when he put the blanket around you” (chap. 8). Boo Radley is not really a bad person, he

First character that helps scout mature would be Atticus. Atticus teaches her to be sympathize with others who are different. One example is when Atticus said “ you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.(Lee ) Atticus teaches Scout to be understanding for the people are different. In the quote Atticus said “ until you climb into his skin and walk around’ it meaning you can’t judge

Better known as Boo Radley. Boo has a very noticeable act of social awkwardness or fearness. Boo hasn't been outside home home in years, the interaction with people is handable for him. But Boo has an unexplainable love for the kids, Jem and scout. Boo went outside during sometime of the day and left the kids gifts in a hole that was placed in the tree in his yard. Boo also risked exposure when the kids were being attacked and boo left his house, his property to save them. He not only took the Jem home but also waited in his house with jem’s father, the sheriff, and the doctor. Boo faced all of these people to simply make sure the kids were okay. This was not only very courageous but brave and just shows how much love this guy has for these

Calpurnia cares for Scout and Jem as her own and she works very hard to teach, discipline, and love the children, especially Scout, who has needed more guidance from a younger age. Atticus has helped Scout to realize the things that Calpurnia does for her and Jem by explaining to her “‘I’ve no intention of getting rid of her, now or ever. We couldn’t operate a single day without Cal, have you ever thought of that? You think about how much Cal does for you, and you mind her, you hear?’”(33). Although the work of Calpurnia had gone unnoticed to young Scout, she later realized the importance and love that she has brought to the family.

In the beginning of the novel, Scout has many misconceptions concerning Boo Radley. Due to Maycomb’s judgemental ways, rumors provoke Scout to view Boo Radley as a mean, squirrel eating monster. At the beginning of the novel, Boo is feared by the people of Maycomb, especially Scout, Dill, and Jem. “Boo was about six- and- a- half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch. There was a long jagged scar that run across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (Lee 16). This fraudulent description by Jem exhibits how both the children as well as the rest of Maycomb viewed Boo. As the novel progresses, the three children continue to try and get Boo out of the house he has been in for years. Jem, Dill, and Scout create several childish schemes in attempt to get the

Calpurnia is probably one of the most humblest characters of the novel other than Tom Robinson. Since Scout narrates the story she admires Calpurnia, especially after the incident at the church. She describes how “Cal” isn't the same at church as she is at the Finches.

“When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work. (9/147)” Boo Radley is clearly misjudged just because no one sees him. Rumors and assumptions often dictated people’s views on things at that time. Scout is also very vague when she refers to “people,” which could mean that no one really said that. Crazy Addie was convicted of nocturnal disturbances in Maycomb, but people thought that it was somehow Boo Radley who committed the disturbances. Jem gives a description of Boo that Dill and Scout consider “reasonable.” However, the children don’t know what reasonable is, because they have never really seen him. “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time. (11)” Boo is also described as six and a half feet tall, and he kills and eats squirrels and cats to survive. This was a description by a child who has never seen the actual person. Children have a lot of imagination, so they tend to exaggerate things. They want excitement in their lives at the expense of judging a man whom they cannot prove anything about. Stephanie Crawford

Everyone believes they need to stay away from Boo Radley because of the stories that have been told about his father and at the end of the book Scout and Jem are walking home from a play and Jem is hearing footsteps behind him, then they had got attacked by Bob Ewell and knocked Jem unconscious, then Boo had picked up Jem and carried him home and Scout was trying to figure out who was carrying Jem back home, she looked behind the door and she said “Hi Boo”. Boo had helped Atticus by taking good care of his children and that is when Scout got to meet Boo.

Although no one appreciates tough love in the moment, many times when one looks at their past they realize how fortunate they were to receive it. Calpurnia (Cal) from the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one that gifts tough love through her character traits of being tough yet motherly. To Kill A Mockingbird followed Jean Louise Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) as they grew up in Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s. Their adventures, failures, and triumphs were observed by their father, Atticus Finch, and their housekeeper Cal. Cal was a black woman, which was significant because of the controversial court case Atticus had of defending a black man. She was well respected in the Finch household and made a tremendous impact on Jem and Scout’s lives.

Boo Radley’s actions helped Scout and Jem realize you should walk in someone else's shoes before judging them. Jem, Dill and Scout were outside one summer day when Jem wanted to play a new game, which it’s characters were based off of the Radley family: “ Jem, naturally, was Boo: he went under the front steps and shrieked and howled from time to time” (Lee 52). The kids were mocking Boo Radley on the gossip they had heard, thinking it was true. They had believed most of the gossip they heard about him and didn’t take the time to find out who Boo really was. Soon after, Boo saves Jem and Scout and gets invited into their house that night, they get to see him and realize he is just a quite individual but would never hurt Jem and Scout: “His

In the Harper’s Lee’s story “To Kill a Mockingbird” there is a main character name Scout which has compassion and also helping others. Scout help a African American named Tom Robinson from the ku klux klan. Scout has compassion by helping Tom Robinson not getting lynched by a mob. She helped Tom by speaking up. Which that really helped him a lot. Scout also helped Dill. Dill heard he was going to put in a adoption. So, he had a plan to go to hide and sleep with her. She also helped him by telling Atticus to let him stay. She gave Dill comfort and she let him think what is the best decision for him. Scout helped him hide and did a lot of things to help him out.

In a motherly way Calpurnia grabbed the two children by their shoulder and said, “lets get home”(lee, pg.158). Correspondingly there is another character named Aunt Alexandra. Alexandra is the auntie of the two kids. Again not to mention Alexandra is a horrible mother figure to these children in many ways. Identically Alexandra has never liked Calpurnia. In addition Alexandra is very uncaring towards these children. Jem and Scout have never looked at Alexandra as a mother. It was very likely that she was invited over and would come in the house with a very demanding and mean voice. As a matter of a fact when Alexandra went to their house one time the minute she got there she demanded that Jem picked up her bags and bring them inside. Also Alexandra never looked at Calpurnia as a family member. Identically to Alexandra Calpurnia was equally important to everyone else because she was a different skin color in which everyone looked as they couldn’t read, write, or apprehend things well. Not to mention that ishow Alexandra always looked at Calpurnia as. To say nothing of when she comes the kids never want to talk to her because she is socially awkward with the kids in ways that make them not like her. In my opinion Calpurnia is a better mother figure towards Jem and