To Kill A Mockingbird Calpurnia Quotes

Calpurnia, or “Cal”, was the Finch’s African-American housekeeper and cook. Her being a black, middle-aged woman in a white dominated society, we can already infer she has experienced great racial injustices. Throughout the novel, we see significant and noticeable changes in the main characters, but little development in Calpurnia´s character. Before you discard this essay on what was supposed to be about a chosen character changing due to social and racial injustices throughout the book, give the thesis some thought. Scout is the narrator of the book, therefore we are seeing changes through her point of view; so we only see Calpurnia changing through the eyes of Scout, but they were not in actuality

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

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.

For the first time, Scout realizes that Calpurnia “led a modest double life”, “had a separate existence outside her household”, and had “command of two languages” (167). She learns from Calpurnia that people have to act differently based on certain situations or based on the people who she interacts with. Scout starts wanting to know more about Calpurnia, to see what her life is like outside of her home. She wants to step Calpurnia’s shoes and see what her other life is like. However, Aunt Alexandra does not want her to visit Calpurnia’s house; Scout doesn’t understand why, however, since she lacks the prejudice that most other kids would have. Had Scout been living in a different home, she probably would have seen Calpurnia’s other life is inferior to the one that Calpurnia has with them. In later scene, Scout demonstrates his lack of prejudice again at the court scene. When Reverend Sykes asked Jem and Scout if they wanted to go up “to the balcony with [him]” (219), they bolted towards the balcony without a second thought. Other white citizens would probably rather be squished against the walls or stay outside than going up to the colored balcony. However, Jem, Scout, and Dill ran full speed ahead towards the balcony. The kids didn’t care that it was the colored balcony;

For example, when she takes Jem and Scout to her church Lula, who is seen equal to the Ewells, starts to question Calpurnia’s decision to bring colourless folks. “Lula stopped, but she said, ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?’” (Lee 158). Instead of leaving and letting her be beat by Lula. Calpurnia decides to stand up for the Finch children to show strength and how they should treat the lowlifes who criticize and try to pull you down with

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, the Finch's nanny, is also a role model throughout the book for Scout, and throughout the book Scout's perceptions about Calpurnia change. Calpurnia has been with the Finch's for a long time, but she still is not really part of the family. When she stays overnight,

Though Calpurnia and the people involved in Calpurnia’s life are greatly impacted, Jean Louise Finch, a.k.a. Scout, deals with more confusion and frustration brought on by racial discrimination. During a day at school, Scout encountered Cecil Jacobs and his ignorant mind. “Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting any more… I soon forgot. Cecil Jacobs made me forget. He had announced in the schoolyard the day before that Scout Finch’s daddy defends niggers”(Lee 99). Scout did not realize what this meant, but she was hurt by it any way. Scout is affected by a copious amount of racism, she just has no clue what is zipping around her. When she confronted Atticus about him defending Negroes, he said of course he does, and to not use

Calpurnia is an example of, good parental guidance in Maycomb. When Scout and Jem go to Calpurnia’s church one day, they learn new things about her. Calpurnia’s son Zeebo is talking in front of the mass of people at church on Sunday. Scout and Jem look for books to sing from, but Cal explains that a lot of the church can not read. She tells Jem “There wasn’t a school when he was a boy. I made him learn though”(Lee 166). Not only is Calpurnia a good influence on Zeebo but acts as a motherly figure to Jem and Scout also. When it was time to give donations at the church “She gave a dime to me(Scout) and a dime to to Jem”(Lee 159). When they collaboratively argue to subsidize for themselves, she says that they are her company, which teaches rudimentary courtesy. Calpurnia has not only benefitted her child but also benefited Atticus’s