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How Is Calpurnia's Changing Experience In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The mind is like clay; malleable early, but it hardens over time. Moreover, the coming-of-age novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, has the narrator, Scout, guide the reader through her childhood. During this period, Scout undergoes several life-changing experiences. These events develop into lessons taught to Scout that can change her perception of other people. To start, Calpurnia, the Finch’s housekeeper, teaches Scout an important lesson. During lunchtime at the Finch house, Scout rudely points out Walter’s outlandish etiquette, which motivates Calpurnia to quietly admonish Scout, explaining that, ”anybody [who] sets foot in [her] house is [her company]” (Lee, 27). What Calpurnia reveals to Scout is to be respectful of other people, even her guests. With this in mind, Calpurnia is able to divert Scout from being impolite to people in the future, which essentially forces Scout to perceive others as different from herself. To finalize, Calpurnia teaches Scout how to respect other people because of how different their cultures are. In addition, Scout learns …show more content…

On a peaceful evening, Scout reveals her negative beliefs of Boo Radley, an ominous neighbor, to Miss Maudie, but Miss Maudie, defending Boo Radley, argues that, “the things that happen to people [they] never really know” (51). Miss Maudie’s lesson also echoes off of Calpurnia and Atticus’s lessons. In reality, Scout does not actually know Boo Radley well, and so should respect Boo Radley despite him being so distant. To elaborate, Scout has her own opinions of Boo Radley, which she picks up from the neighborhood gossip and rumors, but they have no support because of the lack of her own observations. Miss Maudie’s lesson helps Scout understand how people misinterpret Boo Radley’s uncanny behaviors as evil or threatening. In summary, Miss Maudie teaches Scout a lesson that turns her views of Boo Radley in a different

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Could a young girl live with only one parent. Yes, if many influences are present. Scouts character has matured because of the closet to her. Calpurnia, Atticus and Aunt Alexandra have changed Scout, throughout the book by the various lessons they taught her,that changed her perspective on how she viewed situations and developed her character.

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“Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em” (Lee 24). Calpurnia gave Scout a lesson she’ll remember for life. Scout changes in many ways in “To Kill A Mockingbird.” She becomes mature, ladylike, and accepting. She’s finally able to step into someone else’s shoes and see their life.

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The children hear from Mrs. Stephanie Crawford about her encounter with Boo Radley, claiming that she saw him look through the window at her one night, and stories like that cause Scout, Jem, and Dill to fear Boo. After listening to the Tom Robinson case and hearing about his unfortunate death, Scout and Jem begin to comprehend why Boo never comes out of his house. Jem explains to Scout, “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it’s because he wants to stay inside” (259).

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She first shows signs of being a mentor when Scout is excluded from playing with Jem and Dill. Scout asks about the mysterious Arthur “Boo” Radley and Maudie responds by trying to have her understand that the Radleys are very religious and she should not judge so harshly. Miss Maudie says, “ That is a sad house. I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did.

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Scout's growing understanding and acceptance of the people in her community, flaws and all, is one of the most significant ways she demonstrates tolerance. Scout, for example, is terrified of Arthur "Boo" Radley at first and believes the rumors that he is a "monster”. However, as she learns more about him and his situation, she starts to see him as a human being and develops empathy for him. This is demonstrated when Scout says "I was too old and too big for such childish things, but I knew that Jem's ideas about Arthur Radley were, to him, as real as the things he could see" (Chapter 6). This shows that Scout is growing in her understanding of people and her ability to empathize with them.

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Jean Louise Finch (Scout) is a captivating narrator who compels the reader to listen to the story through her personality. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, uses narration, dialogue, and setting to unravel Scout’s courageous, touchy, and rather inquisitive nature in an inventive and thrilling way. In order to adequately understand Scout as a character, the reader must look deeper to look into her mind rather than skimming the first layer. “‘You never really know a person until you consider things from his point of view...’” (Harper Lee 39).

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We are born ignorant, with no knowledge, for a reason. We need to earn it; we need to experience it. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel based around a 6 year-old girl named Scout. It takes place in the 1930’s right in the middle of the Great Depression. In the book, Scout turns from an inexperienced child to a mature young lady.

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Lula promotes racial discrimination Whereas, Calpurnia encourages identical rights for both white and black residents of Maycomb. Moreover, Calpurnia believes in mixing of the two cultures. When Calpurnia escorts Scout and Jem to the church Lula states, "You ain't got no business bringing white chillun here”. Lula stands up for the black and shows rage towards the Jim Crow laws. Jim Crows laws state no blacks at the white church.

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Unlike Jem, she is not nearly as impervious to prevalent biases present in her community. They constantly interfere with her thoughts on her peers and it shows. When Walter Cunningham, a classmate of Scout’s from a less wealthy (and less privileged, one might argue) family joins them for dinner, she gives no thought to Walter’s value and deduces it as close to none, insisting that “He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham” (Lee 33), no doubt as a result of uneducated surrounding authority figures, such as the undeniably ignorant Miss Caroline. Furthermore, Scout quickly succumbed to the primitive fables behind Boo Radley. Her point of view, which is of the likes that “Boo Radley drove the scissors into his parent’s leg” (Lee 13), has been distorted by rumors of the Radley family borne of nothing more than childish boredom and the lack of palpable

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980 Words | 4 Pages

Scout matures through the novel, from her interactions with Boo Radley such as when Boo gives Jem and Scout some gifts by putting them in the knothole of

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512 Words | 3 Pages

Miss Maudie is one of the few adults who truthfully discuss Boo Radley with Scout. However, it is beyond her ability to get Scout to understand Mr. Radley 's mentality. A confused Scout cannot grasp Mr. Radley 's interpretation of the Bible, as her father 's beliefs are conflicting.

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Many children have adults in their lives who influence the way they turn out in the future. These people can affect the children in negative or positive ways. Scout learns the importance of respect from Calpurnia, the ways of the world, how to live life to the fullest, and walking in someone else’s shoes to understand them throughout the entirety of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee truly portrays Scout ’s coming of age by using the character’s Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Atticus as very important role models in Scout’s life.

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Through the years, the children have gone on many adventures, but their biggest continues to be the night Scout at last, meets Boo. After Arthur rescues the children from the town drunk (, the antagonist,?) Scout sees Boo for the kind, human person he is. “Atticus was right one time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them, just standing on the Radley’s porch was enough” (Lee 374). Scout realizes how wrong they actually are about Boo.

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Scout also learns that Calpurnia leads a very different life outside of the Finch home-she speaks differently(in “n―-talk”, as Scout calls it), and she explains that if she

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892 Words | 4 Pages

Decide how the relationship between Scout and Boo Radley evolves providing sufficient evidence In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Scout develops a strange relationship with a mysterious character, Boo Radley. Scout, Jem, and Dill are interested in Boo Radley because of the mystery that dominates around him and the Radley house. The town people poorly judge Boo Radley and hearing stories from Miss Stephanie Crawford frightens Scout and Jem. Although the relationship starts out as fear and mystery, as time passes, Scout begins to realize that Boo isn’t the monster they described him as, he is rather a nice and caring person.

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