To Kill a Mockingbird Essay examples

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).

Because of what people have heard about Scout, they stereotype that she isn’t ladylike because she acts like a boy and wears overalls. Mrs. Dubose, the Finch’s neighbor, says, “’…what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways- a Finch waiting on tables at the O.K. Café-hah!’”(Lee 135). In this case, Scout is considered a stereotype, but she changes her ways. Scout is confronted with her own stereotypes in the novel but as she grows and learns, she begins to regret her actions. Scout changes her ways throughout the book in order to get rid of the label people put on her. Even though she is still a tomboy at heart, Scout learns how to control her actions and act more like a lady.

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

First of all, Scout is more a tomboy than a girl. Boys tend to live by the phrase, “Boys rule. Girls drool.” Scout expresses,” I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with.” (45). This quote implies that Scout thinks girl things are bad and boy things are good. She has constantly been taught this. Scout believes she can avoid being a girl by not acting like one. Being a girl to Scout is more about what she does than what she is born with. Another example of Scout being more of a boy is how she reacts to the situation with Walter Cunningham and Miss. Caroline. In the text, Scout states, “Ah-Miss. Caroline? Miss. Caroline, he’s a Cunningham.” (22). The gender role of a girl would usually to sit back and watch everything go down. In Scout’s case, she is outspoken and has no filter. She has to tell Miss. Caroline what everyone else is thinking. It is in this sense and others that Scout challenges the traditional gender roles throughout the

“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.

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

Empathy does not discriminate against age. Aunt Alexandra is an older women in To Kill A Mockingbird. She is the poster woman for a southern lady, pearls included. Her brother is Atticus. Within the first minutes of her arrival to Maycomb County she immediately gets onto Scout’s case: “We decided it that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence. It won’t be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested in clothes and boys-” (Lee 170). Scout is doing perfectly fine on her own with the occasional help of Atticus and Jem. Her inability to relate to Scout defines her to have no experience dealing with empathy. Aunt Alexandra has not stop to consider Scout’s opinion in the situation. Calpurnia is the house maid and is also perfectly capable of taking care of the children. Expect Alexandra does not see it as this, she believes she is the one to bring Scout into the southern lady style. Her next idea when arriving in Maycomb is

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.

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.

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,

Scout’s personality begins as coarse; she wants to control with her fists and is easily provoked. However, through her interactions with those in her community, her personality becomes more refined. One example of her lack of self-control is shown when she gets into a fight with her cousin Francis. In her rage, she decided to take out her anger on him, “‘He is not!’ I roared. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking’ about, but you better cut it out this red hot minute!’I leaped off the steps and

Lastly, Scout Finch is a very innocent young lady. Many things in the world are not known to her in full context, but she will eventually learn, and gain experience. An example of Scout’s innocence would be when she invited Walter Cunningham to dine with them. She observed how he poured syrup over his food and then asked him why he did so, followed by “But he’s gone and drowned his dinner in syrup” (Lee 32). She is then told by Calpurnia that you are not to comment on how other people eat. This is the transition from Innocence to Experience, and her innocence is

In the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ we have seen only sides of Aunt Alexandra that are cruel and hateful. The first time we went Aunt Alexandra in the book we heard about her scrutiny towards Scout when she left her all alone at the kid table, but let all the other kids sit at the adult table. This was only the beginning of what happened that Thanksgiving Day. Jem, Scout’s older brother was to old to play, so Scout had to amuse Francis. This is when things got messy. When Scout was outside with Francis he started talking trash about Atticus. He told Scout Atticus was ruining the family name, that he was a nigger lover. At the start of

Earlier in the novel, Scout relates that Atticus views the Ewell family as “the disgrace of Maycomb” (33). However, as the Ewells are a white family, they are having a higher social status. During the trial, it is declared that Mayella seduces Tom Robinson, and her father, Bob Ewell, thought that his daughter would shift her warm feelings for a black man. In addition, Bob Ewell’s reaction to his daughter kissing to Tom Robinson displays the fear of miscegenation. Atticus, however, strives for justice. Atticus explains the ugly truth to Jem and Scout: “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (251-252). Atticus shows disgust with white people taking advantage of a black person’s ignorance” (252). Tom Robinson is facing a trial and the death sentence because he is black. Furthermore, Atticus makes it clear to his children that racism exists and tells Scout and Jem: 'In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always