How Is Atticus Portrayed In To Kill A Mockingbird

Calpurnia is pressured to meet the expectations set for both women and blacks in Maycomb society, and in many ways she does a good job at conforming to them. Calpurnia works as a nanny to Jem and Scout, which is a common job for black women. As the only adult woman in the household, Calpurnia,of course, keeps order on all things. She is an excellent cook and very strict towards Scout and Jem. Scout has a knack for getting in trouble, so she often complains about Calpurnia’s ‘tyrannical presence’. Despite this, readers often get a glance at Calpurnia’s maternal side. When Jem tells Scout to start acting like a girl, she flees to Cal for support. Although, she can’t give Scout much advice she is able to comfort her. “I just can’t help it if Mister Jem’s growin’ up. He’s gonna want to be off to himself a lot now, doin’ whatever boys do, so you just come right on in the

Calpurnia was the Finch’s African- american housekeeper. She played a huge role in the parenting of both Scout and Jem because Atticus was an only father. Calpurnia helped Scout become more ladylike at the end of the novel by teaching her proper manners and edict. Scout is a hardcore

Atticus teaches Jem and scout a number of important lessons which will help them in life. However tolerance is one of the most important, because if people tolerate one another then things like war or racism will not exist, and they are two of the biggest areas of conflict in the world. Atticus models tolerance for his children by taking the case of and accused rapist. He defends a black man even though most of the town is against it and treat him discourteously because of it. Scout went against her father’s wishes by not

Furthermore, as Atticus is seen as a role model he is challenged by Scout. Atticus is challenged as Scout is determined to find out if he is a good father who doesn’t only do things for the well-being of Maycomb County, but also does things for her by being an ideal father. At times, this has an effect on both Atticus and Scout, as Atticus starts being honest with his daughter. This honesty also leads to Scout having faith and trust in her father. The qualities and characteristics that Atticus and Scout have, enhances’ the relationship between them as they both learn that they need each other’s support to overcome difficulties and hardships.

In the story, Calpurnia plays a role that allows the reader to explore the theme of racism, prejudice, and as well as femininity. Calpurnia acts as a mother figure to both Scout and Jem, especially since they lost their mom when they were young. For Scout specifically, Calpurnia has a huge feminine influence as well since Scout basically grew up without her biological mom and Calpurnia was the woman that helped her get dress, taught her how to write, and took care of her since she was young. Being a tomboy, Scout doesn’t see the benefits of being a lady like how Aunt Alexandra wants her to. However, she learns by watching Calpurnia that “there was some skill involved in being a girl” (154). This shows that Calpurnia, although

Scout learns 3 important things about life in the book. One thing she learns is that life is unfair. She experiences this in a court case with her dad defending a black man named Tom Robinson who is accused for raping Mayella Ewell the daughter of Bob Ewell. Mr. Atticus had very good reasons on why Tom should not be accused of rape and everyone in the court including the jury and judge were sure that he would win but at the end of the case the jury decided

Furthermore, Tom’s trial also affects Atticus’ personal life because it creates internal conflict within Scout, who is unsure of whether to follow society or her father. However, when faced with this dilemma, he counters in a manner that is not appealing, but rather eye-opening. Atticus firmly tells Scout: “This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.” ( Lee, 76 ). By stating that he can not be selective about his cases and how he must uphold the law at all times, Atticus shows Scout that his integrity will not compromised for the sake of his community. This shows the magnitude Atticus is willing to go to not stray from his original morals. The fact that he did not sugarcoat his beliefs for Scout emphasizes how necessary he finds it to stay true to himself, this reinforces that he is not willing to bend his moral code for those closest to him such as his own flesh and blood. This also alludes to the abstract idea that he is willing to sacrifice himself in order to follow his sense of integrity and avoid undermining it. When the town’s men gather at the jail Tom is residing in, they come armed with weapons for their “snipe hunt” (Lee 151), to ensure that Tom does not make it to his trial. Atticus, who is standing there as Tom’s shield, does not waver in front of the mob of angry white men.

Scout holds her head up high and defends her father when her own family member is calling her father such rude terms. Scout shows a mature difference due to her self control and ability to try and act like somewhat of an adult. It shows that sometimes being an adult can be difficult for some. Same as Scout, Jem shows change after the end of the trial. The whole trial Jem knows that all the evidence proves Tom Robinson (the black man Atticus is defending) is innocent, meaning Atticus should win.

“‘Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia’ was the first thing she said” (169). Alexandra walks in and acts like Calpurnia serves her as a slave. This is a perfect example of how black people are treated by the majority of the people. “I could have made several answers to this: Cal’s a girl…” (170). Aunt Alexandra thinks that she needs to come and help Scout act like a lady because she has no women figure to look up to in her life.

Atticus’ sister encourages him to fire Calpurnia as she believes Calpurnia is a bad influence on Scout as she is black. After hearing this Atticus replies saying “Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to…. She's a faithful member of this family and you'll simply have to accept things the way they are’ (155). Atticus does not care about what race Calpurnia is as he believes what matters is on the inside. Secondly, Atticus shows his attempt to stop racism as he takes on a case to defend a black man Tom Robinson in a rape trial.

Calpurnia, by far one of the most stand out characters in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, plays a key role in Jem, Scout’s, and even Atticus’ life. Although Cal is merely a housekeeper for the Finch household, she is nearly a mother to the children. Calpurnia is an amazing role model and gives great guidance. Not to forget, she’s a great help to Atticus when he’s away and busy with Tom Robinson’s case. She supervises the kids and introduces them to new things and experiences.

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout has two women in her life, Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra, who influence her upbringing. While they both have an impact on Scout's life, they are very different from each other when it comes to who they are and their methods of teaching Scout. Even though Scout is living in a time of racism and segregation, her family’s black cook, Calpurnia, has a major effect on Scout as she grows up. When it comes to the Finch family, Calpurnia contributes to Scout’s upbringing in many ways, such as disciplining her, just as a parent would-- "...her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard. She was always ordering me out of the kitchen, asking me why I couldn’t behave as well as Jem when she knew he was older, and calling me home when I wasn’t ready

Calpurnia was written by Lee as a black woman but still is treated fairly and with respect by Atticus and her race was never mentioned by Jem and Scout highlighting the innocence that lee intended those two characters to represent. Differently to aunt Alexandra, Calpurnia doesn’t push the idea of being a woman down scouts throat she simply tries to make sure she is presentable but still who she is, it is scout towards the end of the book as she is a little older that begins to respect ‘women’s roles’ more, for example "by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl." But still because she represents authority to scout and another adult woman trying to force her to be better behaved scout only sees her as a thorn in her side, in a similar way to how she sees Aunt Alexandra, Calpurnia is also similar as a person to aunt Alexandria in the way that she is obsessed with how she is perceived by other people and how well she presents herself, Jem and scout, (but that is understandable due to the race element of her being judged much more harshly as a black

Calpurnia is Jem and Scout’s African American cook who has been with their family since before their mother died. Scout said that ”She had been with us ever since Jem was born, and I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember. Our mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absence” (6). Calpurnia displays motherly actions by disciplining Jem and Scout just like they were her own kids. “Her hand was as wide as a bed slat and twice as hard” (6) explained Scout. This quote signifies that Scout knows how her hand feels and she was getting a physical punishment. Calpurnia tends to discipline Scout more than Jem because Scout acts out and is the worst behaved child of the siblings. “She was ordering me out of the kitchen, asking me why I couldn’t behave as well as Jem when she knew he was older, and calling me home when I wasn’t ready to come” (6) Scout states. Scout and Calpurnia’s relationship is just like a mother and daughter relationship because they fight and make up and Calpurnia disciplines Scout and Scout gets mad at her. Page 75 Chapter 3 states “Calpurnia bent down and kissed me. I ran along, wondering what had come over her. She had wanted to make up with me, that was it. She had always been too hard on me, she had at last seen the error of her fractious ways, she was sorry and too stubborn to say so.” Calpurnia also accepts and claims them as her own children because on page 118 she said,”I don’t want anybody sayin’ I don’t look after my children.” Calpurnia’s discipline is tough, but it relates back to the values and lessons that she wants to teach “her” children.

A big part of the storyline surrounds Scout’s father Atticus teaching Scout the ways of the world and what is morally correct. He is seen as the man of guidance and wisdom, knowledgeable in the ways of the world and its flaws, but still hopeful that it can one day be better. At the end of the trial, after the heart wrenching loss, he speaks to Scout and tries to make her understand. “But [...] no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.” Atticus shows not only empathy to the man that he failed to defend in court, but empathy to the broken jury that convicted the man of his crime.