To Kill A Mockingbird Calpurnia Character Analysis

As people grow in life, they mature and change. In the novel , To Kill a Mockingbird ,by Harper Lee, Scout, the main character, matures as the book continues. Slowly but surely, Scout learns to control her explosive temper, to refrain from fistfights, and to respect Calpurnia, their maid, and to really learn her value to the family. Scout simply changes because she matures, and she also changes because Atticus, her father, asks her to.

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

As people get older they go through experiences in their life that can change them in bad ways or most of the time change them in good ways.This good change occurs usually by the experiences teaching them important lessons they should know in life.These changes are very important in ones life because it matures them into an adult. This transformation happens to certain characters in every novel and it is called coming of age. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, both Jem and Scout go through this coming of age and learn what it means to be courageous, the unfairness of the world, and to look at other people's perspective before judging them.

“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.

As the novel progresses in chapter 12 Calpurnia calls Jem or Mister Jem as a sign of respect,Cal understands that Jem is twelve and is beginning to understand the adult world.Jem begins to retreat from the childish games that he and Scout used to enjoy, becoming moodier and more withdrawn. Jem’s intense admiration for his father combined with his strong belief in justice.

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

The narrator states, “...She was always ordering me out 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...She had been with us since Jem was born. ”(Pg). Calpurnia has been there for the kids since scout was a baby and never left their side.

Calpurnia helps Scout become more lady like by using manners and teaching her how to treat others. For example “ Yo folks might be better than the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothing the way you're disgracing them” (Lee 33) Calpurnia teaches Scout proper manners when she corrects scout for thinking that she is better than Walter Cunningham. Calpurnia Also teaches scout to be respectful. For example “ 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 tablecloth you let him, you hear?” (Lee 31). Calpurnia is like a mother figure to Scout and Jem. She taught scout proper manners and how to treat others with respect. Without Calpurnia Scout wouldn't act very lady like. In the example this is scout’s first lesson on being respectful to others who are different. Therefore without Calpurnia Scout wouldn’t learn how to respect and sympathize with others who are

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee involves growing up and maturing. There are many characters who undergo some type of character growth, but none more than Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout. In the beginning of the novel Scout is a very naïve young girl, but by the end, she is a highly mature young lady who is ready to take on almost anything that the world may throw at her. The growth of Scout is fuelled through her exposure to events occurring around her, her questions and wonderings, and her relationships with other people.

The first trait that Calpurnia portrays throughout the story is patience. One way that Calpurnia is patient is when Scout asks her, “Are you that old?” and she responds by saying, “I’m older than Mr. Finch, even”(Lee 165). This shows that she is patient with the children

Equally important, Calpurnia acts as Scout’s motherly figure throughout the novel. First of all, Calpurnia disciplines Scout to respect people’s differences. Most significantly, Calpurnia reprimands Scout when she criticizes the eating habits of a house guest in the following quote: “There’s some folk who don’t eat like us but you ain’t called on to contradict ‘em at the table when they don’t” (32). Due to scolding from Calpurnia, Scout learns that it is unjust to scrutinize others. Next, Scout inherits the skill of relating to others through Calpurnia’s offerings of comfort. For instance, Calpurnia offers Scout company when she felt lonely in this quote: “So you just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome” (154). Since Scout is an impressionable child, she will absorb Calpurnia’s trait of comforting others. Scout also learns how to efficiently handle situations from Calpurnia. This is illustrated when Scout observes Calpurnia warning the neighborhood of an incoming danger in this quote: “Calpurnia’s message has been received by the neighborhood” (124). From studying Calpurnia’s operative actions, Scout will pick up on how to handle situations properly in the future. Scout puts others under less scrutiny and is more adapted to dealing with the world around her because of

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Calpurnia, is the housekeeper for Atticus Finch, and serves as a kind but strict mother figure to Jem and Scout. Calpurnia and Scout are constantly arguing with each other and Scout says “our battles were epic and one-sided” (Lee 6). Their chronic fights end with one outcome, Calpurnia always wins. In Scouts mind, Calpurnia treats her poorly, but in reality, Calpurnia is being a strict disciplinarian who is looking out for the well-being of Scout. Calpurnia teaches Scout how to write for which she gets in trouble with her teacher Miss Caroline. Miss Caroline scolds Scout for writing in first grade since they will not learn this until third grade and Scout criticizes Calpurnia for this by saying

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

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is one of the main characters and the narrator. During the time the book begins, she is a little 6 year-old girl who is mature for her age, and she continues to mature as the book progresses. Over the course of the novel, Scout develops an exceptional character which is constantly changing from the effects of different events and characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses the minor characters Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra to help develop Scout into a strong and compassionate human being from the innocent child she used to be.