To Kill A Mockingbird Calpurnia Quotes

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.

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

Since Calpurnia is so caring and good to the kids, they look at her as more than just the cook, they look at her as if she was a second mother. One day while Atticus was away for the day Calpurnia decided to take the kids to the all-black church with her. When she showed up with Jem and Scout she was getting nasty looks and comments from some of the other church-goers. She just ignored then and led the kids into the church. When church was let out and they began their walk home. This shows that Cal is caring enough to take the kids to church, knowing ahead of time that the other church members were not going to be happy. On their way home Scout asked if she could go visit Calpurnia at her home one day. Calpurnia responded with, “Any time you want to. We’d be glad to have you” (Lee 168). This also shows that Cal is willing to open her house for them anytime they want to come. Due to Calpurnia’s strong opposition to race, the kids aren’t racist. They don’t care about skin color, they want justice for all. Another example of her caring is the time Tim Johnson, the rabid dog, came down the street and headed right towards their house (Lee 123). The kids ran to get Calpurnia and she took

After Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to church, she tells them, “You’re not gonna change? any of them by talkin’ right, they’ve got to want to learn themselves, and when they don’t want to learn there’s nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language,” (Lee, 1960, p. 167). This statement Calpurnia tells to Scout and Jem proves in Maycomb she has no right to having one life. She either has to act more smart and sophisticated, or she must act like her friends and family in the black community. Calpurnia having to go back and forth between lives shows the readers the way most African American woman had to act to be able to fit in without being discriminated or treated unequally by others.

To begin with, Calpurnia is a coloured housekeeper and a cook for the Finch family which are Atticus (father), Scout (daughter) and Jem (son). She is a confident lady and has "more education than most colored folks" (32). According to the Finch family, they accept her as a part of the family due to Atticus allowing Calpurnia to lecture Scout on her behavior because some white families do not accept the teachings morals from a coloured woman. For instance, when Scout judged on how Walter ate, Calpurnia at that very moment taught her that was not acceptable and is always correcting her manners as well with Jem. Calpurnia is a caring mother who personally treats Jem and Scout as her very own children. Moving on, the Finch family does not judge her due to her skin colour, instead, they trust her.

Calpurnia does not force Scout to be feminine; she lets Scout observe and be who she wants to be. In a way, her teachings also mirrors Atticus- slowly nurturing the children’s morals, answering whatever questions they might have, and leading them in the right direction while letting them also try to discover things on their own. In addition, Calpurnia acts as a bridge between the two worlds (black and white & the Finch’s house and her black community). At the church, the Finch children are able to see the other world (the black community) and to their surprise, they face prejudice there by a woman named Lula. Lula wanted to know why Calpurnia was “bringing white nigguns to their church”. For possibly the first time, Scout and Jem is in a situation where they can see that as much as there is prejudice from white to black, there is just the same from black to white. They might not fully understand what prejudice is at the moment, but this experience definitely helps them understand later on in the story as they mature. In their trip to the black church, Harper Lee portrays the black community in a highly positive light to highlight the idea of racism and prejudice in the white

Walking in someone’s skin can be a difficult task. This difficulty can be found in the vast size of a person’s mind, and the way they live their lives. Calpurnia’s skin can be difficult to walk in because she was a black woman in a time period where racism was at its peak, which meant that she must have had to live with segregation and prejudice for her lifetime.

Bluntly put, Calpurnia is the Finches' housekeeper in the novel. However, she is so much more to the family. She conducts herself as a mother figure to Jem and Scout, as she practically raised them after their mother's death. Along with Miss Maudie, Calpurnia is a strong, positive female influence in Jem and Scout's lives. She is a parallel to Atticus in her lessons of politeness and compassion and contrasts with Aunt Alexandra's harsh discipline and strict gender roles. In my perception, she is a very significant character that teaches the children how to cope up with challenging situations regarding race and class that arise in the book. This is also my reasons for why I chose her as a character worthy of discussion.

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 explains her understanding of different kinds of people. Calpurnia also sets an example for Scout by telling her what it means to be ladylike.

She was once confronted at her church when a woman snobbishly asked why two children of the opposite race came to a black church. Calpurnia said they had every right to go with the answer of saying we all worship the same God. (119). Another example is when Scout seems worried and alone when a gap in Jem’s behavior lead him to act up like a regular teenager. And Scout felt like their close relationship could fade away but Calpurnia reassured her saying that they can always play together too. Lee writes: ““Baby,” said Calpurnia, “… you just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome. We’ll find lots of things to do in here.”” (115). In conclusion, Calpurnia not only defends the children but genuinely has compassion for the well-being of Jem and Scout, just like how a mother would.

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

Calpurnia from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is caring. Calpurnia is caring because when they go out and see the mad dog they run in and try to call everyone and to tell them to shut their windows and doors. “Calpurnia stared, then grabbed us by the shoulders and ran us home” (Lee, pg. 123). This connects to the thesis because this shows that she cares about everyone that surrounds her. Cal is trying to protect Jem and Scout with her body from the dog when Atticus tells Cal to go inside. She tried to block us with her body, but we looked out from beneath her arms” (Lee, pg. 126). This quote goes along with Cal being caring because she puts her own body in front so Jem and Scout don’t get hurt. Cal did not want Atticus to miss the shot

When Reverend Moorehead gives his sermon about Jem and Scout’s misdeeds at the dinner party, Atticus responds by laughing. Just before the dinner, Scout was “baptized” by Jem during one of their games, leaving her wet and naked. On their way home from the lake, they run into Reverend Moorehead, his wife, and Atticus. Calmly, Atticus puts his coat over Scout and tells her, “Go to Calpurnia. Go in the backdoor”(68). Calpurnia quickly cleans Scout up and prepares dinner. At the table, Reverend preaches a sermon about the kids misdemeanor from the incident earlier. After the sermon ends, Atticus leaves the room and instantly Scout thought he was embarresed and upset by their actions, but when she asked, "Is Atticus real upset?", Calpurnia said,

After Calpurnia takes the kids to church with her one day, Scout begins to ask questions while they walk home. She asks Cal why she talks like the other black people while she is at church. Cal tries to explain why she does that. After trying to explain a few times, she says “‘It’s not necessary to tell all you know.’” (Lee 167). Cal explaining this to Scout and Jem changes a lot for them. After this, the kids gets another glimpse of the difference between groups of people in Maycomb. This helps them understand again that everyone is different and that you have to think of other people’s perspectives before you conclude something.