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Calpurnia Tate Gender Roles

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Jacqueline Kelly’s book “The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate” takes place during the hot summer of Texas in 1899, Calpurnia; the main character, is trying her best to stay cool, so she decides that she will cut off one inch of her hair each week. She makes many discoveries, goes on adventures with her grandpa, and most of all, she strongly dislikes her “girlish” roles. One lesson that the story suggests is that even though specific genders have their own roles, it's actually okay if you want to do things that are unspecified for your gender.

One example of how she doesn't like doing girly things, was when Calpurnia’s mother called her from her room to the kitchen to learn how to bake apple pie, while calpurnia has no intentions of learning how to do that. “There's no need to look like that, it's only a cooking lesson.” (Kelly, 223) This is apparent because Calpurnia only wanted to read her book and learn more about science.

Another example of how Calpurnia doesn't like to do girly things happens when Calpurnia is finished baking the pie and her brother, J.B. walks in and asks if he could learn how to make a pie. Her mother continues to say “No J.B. boys don't make pies… they have wives …show more content…

Some Things she does is explore the woods and try discovering new species of plants, insects, and other “mootants” as Calpurnia calls them. She makes discoveries including her “yellow grasshopper,” which actually ended up not being a new species after all. She and her grandpa actually made a new discovery of a new species of Vetch, all though she did forget to write the location of where it was found and sort of beat herself up for that. However, even though this isn't what she should be doing in her free time, it does make up a huge part of who she is and how the book ends. Therefore, Calpurnia enjoys doing her own thing and spending time with her grandpa

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578 Words | 3 Pages

Calpurnia is a good mother figure. When Jem does not want to play with Scout anymore, Cal comforts her and says she can spend time with her. She keeps them clean and cares about them. Before Cal took them to her church she made them “soap all over twice and drew fresh water in the tub for every rinse” (Lee, 156). She even says “I don’t anyone sayin’ I don’t look after my children” (Lee, 157).

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945 Words | 4 Pages

This will be explored in greater detail throughout this essay. In Chapter 1, the author describes Calpurnia from Scout’s point of view as harsh and unfair, but it is inferred that, because Scout is a small child whom Calpurnia is reprimanding, Calpurnia really does care what happens to the children and how they behave. Lee writes from Scout’s perspective, “ Our

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1074 Words | 5 Pages

Calpurnia, taught her how to interact with others in an appropriate manner and respect the way people act. A specific moment of A lesson given by calpurnia, was when she said “ There’s some folks who don’t eat like us... 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,39).Calpurnia,

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965 Words | 4 Pages

She was hired to be the Finch’s families cook but she had put more into that job then required, she built a close relationship with these kids over the years of her working there, she became a parental figure to them. This was not very common in this time because most families had mom and a dad and if a white family both were white and if it were a black family both were black. Calpurnia was a black worker and was the closest thing the kids had to a mom in the family. During the time of preparation for the trial Atticus was gone a lot and was not able to take the kids to church one Sunday, Calpurnia decided she would take them to her church.

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487 Words | 2 Pages

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout, Calpurnia, and Atticus stand out when courage comes to mind. These characters show courage in many unique ways with different situations. In the early 1930s, in the deep south, racial discrimination was a huge conflict, for example, the Jim Crows Laws were in play, and it legalized segregation between blacks and whites. Courage isn’t always shown in situations, but simply throughout growing up.

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1013 Words | 5 Pages

Showing the children that she was able to teach herself and her child how to read and write dispite not having the resources to do so. This is demonstrating that even though she did not have the greatest resources, she still was still able to persevere and create the education that her child needed. Calpurnia was able to create and become a leadership role for the Finch children to have as a guide and mentor to always go to for

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97 Words | 1 Pages

Lining up at the door was a form of deference that Calpurnia 's family used. Calpurnia was instantaneously disoriented after she had a sip of Granddaddy 's pecan liquor. Calpurnia 's household rules stipulate that she and her brothers must practice piano

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620 Words | 3 Pages

Calpurnia serves as an amazing role model and mother figure to the children, and yet Aunt Alexandra wants to fire her. She had raised Jem and Scout, and plays an indispensable part of their lives, showering them with discipline, structure, and love. Aunt Alexandra, however, barely existed in the children 's lives up until she moved into the Finch’s home, yet she inflicts great injustice on Calpurnia by failing to recognize the necessitous part of the family that Calpurnia fills. Scout even overhears Aunt Alexandra saying, "...you 've got to do something about her. You 've let things go on too long Atticus, too long.

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459 Words | 2 Pages

Again in chapter 12, Cal says, "How'd you and Mister Jem like to come to church with me tomorrow?"(Lee,156). Even though Calpurnia just helps around the Finch household and isn't of any blood, she shows love to Jem and Scout. Cal didn't have to take Jem and Scout to church with her, instead she offered to because she was looking out got Atticus. The love that everyone shows throughout "To Kill a Mockingbird", is done out of pure respect for one

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1247 Words | 5 Pages

Calpurnia is an ideal influence for Scout’s coming of age moments. She teaches Scout the importance of manners, and treating people with respect. When Walter Cunningham comes to eat lunch with Scout and Jem one day, Scout

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906 Words | 4 Pages

The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee was published in 1960, and praised for its analysis of the close minded and hypocritical American southeast. The novel is written with whole cast of brand new stereotype breaking. Such as Mayella Ewell a nineteen year old, poor, white woman, who despite the stereotype that is still placed on women today, is portrayed as the sexual instigator in an assault situation. However, while many characters in the novel do break the stereotypes placed upon them, the novel upholds many as well. One of the characters in the novel based off of a stereotype is Calpurnia, the black maid hired by the Finch family.

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1132 Words | 5 Pages

Calprina is another mother figure in scout life, she cook’s for the family, and try to show Scout the right from wrong: “It was then that Calpurnia requested my presence in the kitchen. She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic. When in tranquility, her grammar was as good as anybody’s in Maycomb. Atticus said Calpurnia had more education than most colored folks. When she squinted down at me the tiny lines around her eyes deepened.

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590 Words | 3 Pages

It seems they love and respect their father because the narrator often writes about him. She tends to write about the success of his career. It seems as if though Scout thinks Calpurnia can be bossy at times. Jem must admire Calpurnia because she never bosses him around or yells at him. They must see her as a mother

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623 Words | 3 Pages

In Calphurnia 's and Caesar 's conversation, it is shown that while Calphurnia deeply trusts and moreover worries for her husband, Caesar doesn 't appear to share that devout trust. In the beginning of the scene, Calphurnia is

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1095 Words | 5 Pages

Thus, whilst slightly unconventional, Calpurnia has a distinct role in teaching the Finch children respect and responsibility. In conclusion, Atticus Finch and Calpurnia are contrasting characters with the same purpose in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus maintains a fair, wise character throughout the novel, in comparison to Calpurnia's cogent, blunt personality. What brings them together is how they set the correct example for and give life lessons to Jem and Scout.

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