Calpurnia And To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee explores prejudice in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ through the contrasting characters in Maycomb County and how these characters differ with others of similar roles in similar situations. This essay will look at the contrasting attitudes of the two fathers; Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell and how they are both involved in racial prejudice. Aunt Alexandra and Calpurnia will also be compared in how their roles involving social prejudice differ.

Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell are two fathers with clear contrasting morals which Lee uses to explore racial prejudice. Atticus is a kind and compassionate father who always intends to do what is right ‘if I didn 't I couldn 't hold up my head in town’. He takes the role upon himself in society to

Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra are the two most influential women in Scout’s life and their personalities contrast to exhibit social prejudice. As Scout’s mother dies at childbirth, Atticus employs Calpurnia; an African American to be the family house-keeper who helps to raise Scout and Jem. Calpurnia encourages Scout to do the right thing in the footsteps of her father and teaches her to use manners and to be acceptant. Scout brings home Walter Cunningham from school for lunch, an event that defies Maycomb’s social class order, but Calpurnia encourages this rightful gesture. When Scout embarrasses Walter for pouring syrup all over his food, Calpurnia punishes Scout for the disrespectful way she treated Walter. By doing this, Calpurnia ignored the social class order for she believes that ‘guests no matter who they are must be treated well’. On the other hand, when Scout wants to invite Walter Cunningham over a second time under Aunt Alexandra’s supervision, Aunt Alexandra makes it very clear that it would be an inappropriate invitation because according to the social order of Maycomb, ‘he is trash’. By Calpurnia allowing Walter to visit and Aunt Alexandra forbidding Walter to visit, the social prejudice system is made obvious. Calpurnia also allows Scout to wear overalls whereas Aunt Alexandra encourages Scout to wear dresses as it is more ladylike. This is once again an example of how these two women are involved in social prejudice; Calpurnia is trying to do what is best for the children when Aunt Alexandra is only trying to obey the social class order.

Prejudice is shown in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee through the contrasting characters and how they differ with characters of similar roles in social and racial situations. The contrasting ways in which Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell act towards the court case make racial prejudice an obvious issue, and the contrasting opinions and influences between Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra make social prejudice