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Compare Atticus And Calpurnia's Relationship In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In the coming-of-age novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee explores the topic of trust, demonstrating how healthy relationships are built on trust and mutual respect and how a lack of the aforementioned can alienate an individual from society. Atticus and Calpurnia trust each other and have a good, healthy relationship as a result. In contrast, Aunt Alexandra views Calpurnia with suspicion, solely because she is a black woman. She even goes as far as insinuating that she should leave the household. In response, Atticus reaffirms, “Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn't have got along without her all these years. She's a faithful member of this family and you'll simply have to accept things the way they are” (Lee …show more content…

Because of Ewell’s reputation, society does not trust him. Even the normally polite and courteous Atticus even refers to him and his family as “the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 30). They live in a dump, and “they were people, but they lived like animals” (Lee 30). The Ewells’ previous actions resulted in them being referred to as the “disgrace” of the entire town, meaning that they are not trusted and are looked down upon. Because of this, Bob Ewell does not have a good relationship with the society around him. Atticus continues, “The Ewells were members of an exclusive society made of Ewells” (Lee 30). Even though the Ewells live in the same town as everyone else, they are still set apart, with Atticus even referring to their family as part of an “exclusive society” that is separate from those around them. Setting a bad example leads to a loss of trust which alienates someone from society. Townspeople such as Atticus do not even see people such as Bob Ewell as functional members of

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468 Words | 2 Pages

Since their mother pasted away, Atticus seems to not know what to do with the children. Due to this, he hires Calpurnia. She acts almost like the mother figure who dresses Scout. She also disciplines the children and attempts to teach them proper manners. Toward the end of the story, due to life threatening events, Atticus’ becomes closer with his children.

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998 Words | 4 Pages

When Bob Ewell spat and threatens Atticus, he did not reply with negativity. Atticus understands how he is feeling and still does not hate him for doing what he did. Atticus would take the heat if it meant protecting the children of Bob Ewell. Atticus Finch’s caring nature relates to the theme because it shows that he cares for children that live in

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487 Words | 2 Pages

She teaches these kids that it’s not always the right thing to do what everybody else is doing. Calpurnia looks after these children and takes them in as her own when she is told to. Atticus shows the most examples of courage in this story. He teaches his people many lessons, especially his children.

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864 Words | 4 Pages

They are also responsible for not protecting Tom Robinson from being wrongly accused of something he did not do. Bob Ewell is the main antagonist in the novel, he is an abusive racist and drunk. The Ewells are the trashiest people in the town of Maycomb county but not because of where they live. In the novel, it states, “Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 33) They are the source of all the town’s problems, especially Bob Ewell. The Ewells are a family that has never been able to gain respect from the rest of Maycomb.

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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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1288 Words | 6 Pages

The Ewell’s were the kind of people in the county that should never be trusted, but once they were put in a situation regarding a black man, suddenly they were the truthful ones. Furthermore, during a conversation with Calpurnia on page 164, Scout thought about how believable the Ewells were, “‘It’s because of what folks say Tom’s done,” she said… ‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail…’ ‘Why, Atticus said they were absolute trash - I never heard Atticus talk about folks the way he talked about the Ewells…’” The Ewell family had the reputation of being terrible people, and even Atticus said that. However, a majority of people in town still thought Bob Ewell to be speaking the truth because he was accusing an African American, and they are always below everyone

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418 Words | 2 Pages

The fictional story, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee includes an evil character, Bob Ewell. The story takes place in Maycomb, a southern town in Alabama in the 1930s. The Ewell family is among the poorest in Maycomb, and is low on Maycomb’s social hierarchy. The family name is not very reputable. Bob Ewell is a drunken father of the family.

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1131 Words | 5 Pages

Understand?’” (pg.136). The most important or relevant time that Atticus sticks up for his belief that Calpurnia deserves the utmost respect no matter her skin color is when Aunt Alexandra tells him she thinks Calpurnia shouldn't live with them and be around the children. Atticus says: “Alexandra, Calpurina’s not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn't have got along without her all these years’”

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1112 Words | 5 Pages

With their unbeknownst number of kids the Ewell brood, specifically Bob Ewell becomes jealous and outright angry that Atticus would oppose him in the court of law by representing Tom Robinson. Although against the odds Atticus feels empathetic towards the Ewells not necessarily Bob but instead for Mayella, he understands what she is being put through, Suffering through domestic abuse, and in court Atticus even goes so far as to state that he feels sorry for Mayella. To add to this he implies that the man truly guilty of beating Mayella is in the courtroom (Bob Ewell). This did nothing to calm Bob Ewell’s seething manner instead it only escalated it, and in an attempt to get back at atticus he tries to kill his children whom are saved by an unseen and unknown force which killed Mr. Ewell. The precursor towards this however was when Bob Ewell spit on Atticus but even through this Atticus was rational, he thought about it.

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732 Words | 3 Pages

The whites don’t accept the Ewells because they live like pigs. The blacks don’t accept the Ewells because they are white. Scout stated, “... Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world… When Atticus asked had she any friends, she seemed not to know what he meant, then she thought he was making fun of her… Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her.

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508 Words | 3 Pages

Bob does not value education, we can see this because Bob does not send his daughter to school. Unlike Atticus Bob does not follow the law. Atticus and Bob Ewell don’t just have influence over their children, they also have an influence over the whole town. While Atticus has a positive effect on the town Bob has a negative effect on the town. Atticus influences the town to take in African Americans and make their town bigger, instead of being racists.

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592 Words | 3 Pages

The theme of injustice shows itself many times throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, as shown by Mr. Ewell’s actions towards the Finches, Tom Robinson’s unjust and false trial and in Aunt Alexandra’s actions towards Calpurnia. Injustice makes its first appearance in Mr. Ewell’s actions towards the Finches. He shows this especially on two occasions, when he spits in Atticus’s face and mocks him and when he attacks Jem and Scout on their way home on Halloween. When Atticus left the post office Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed, spat on him and threatened to kill him. After his encounter with Mr. Ewell, Atticus simply says, “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco,” (249).

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1300 Words | 6 Pages

Calpurnia is seen both by Atticus and the reader as more than just a housekeeper and a cook; she is a part of the family and fills in the role of a mother to Jem and Scout by helping raise them alongside Atticus. Atticus deeply cherishes Calpurnia’s efforts of taking care of the children. With her doting attitude, yet, strict disciplinary, Calpurnia treats both Scout and Jem as she would her own children. Furthermore, this following quote proves that fatherhood is indeed an arduous and burdensome role as Atticus says these following words. Without Calpurnia by his side, Atticus would have found fatherhood even more of a demanding role without a wife by his side to help support and take care of the family, as well as raise his children to grow

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1628 Words | 7 Pages

Even the language he uses declares his intentions and anger towards the blacks. In the white men world, Bob Ewell is a poor, uneducated and powerless white man; but in the black men world, he is powerful; in his mind, he thinks that the town of Maycomb should make him a hero; he saved a white woman from a black villain. Bob Ewell’s real intention is not to defend his daughter and himself; his real intention is gaining attention, he hates that he is nothing and wants the world to shape around him. He execrated Atticus because Atticus is better than him and educated and rich and a man with morals. At the End of the trial, the Ewells unfold to be lairs, Bob Ewell

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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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