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Examples Of Calpurnia As A Mother Figure In To Kill A Mockingbird

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After reading 176 pages in To Kill A Mockingbird, I can clearly see that Calpurnia is a better mother figure to the kids than Aunt Alexandra, mostly because Aunt Alexandra shows that she is not very nice. Calpurnia, however, shows that she is a better mother figure because of the daily interactions she has with the kids. The kids, especially Scout, do not really remember their mother very well so Calpurnia tried to fill in by doing some normal things that mothers do. She taught Scout to write very well when she was young so it could benefit her when she got older. Calpurnia also adapted the motherly habit of protecting the children when there was danger. When there was a rabid dog rambling down the street, Cal made sure the kids got inside. …show more content…

Instead of leaving them alone, or leaving them at the other church, she decided to bring them with her to her own church. Even though Calpurnia can be hard on the kids, she does not really punish them. She sometimes can be harsh to the children of they are being disrespectful. Cal got on Scouts case after she was sort of being disrespectful to Walter Cunningham. Calpurnia, like any other person, can get annoyed by some things that kids do. Scout liked to practice throwing batons up and catching them, but used sticks instead of the actual batons. Cal got very annoyed because Scout kept throwing it around the house so she did not let Scout come in the house with that stick ever again. Lastly, whenever the kids get into an argument about something with Calpurnia, they always lose because Cal has power over them and can get them in trouble, Also, she is very good at winning arguments. Aunt Alexandra on the other hand, is not a very good mother figure to the kids. Whenever she talks to them, she is usually very stern. She is stern when the kids do something wrong. Aunt Alexandra also is disappointed in Scout. She thinks that Scout needs to act more like a lady and wear lady

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578 Words | 3 Pages

G Calpurnia is a better mother figure than aunt Alexandria Y Calpurnia is a good mother figure R cal comforts scout when jem doesn’t want to be with her (pg.154) R she cleans them very well before she takes them to church, calls them her kids (pg. 156) R sticks up for the kids at church Y Aunt Alexandria is not a good mother figure

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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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473 Words | 2 Pages

Calpurnia was with them through all the years of them growing up. She was the one to give motherly advice, and listen to all the troubles the children may have. In this way, I believe Calpurnia was motherly. Although Calpurnia has children of her own, she cares for Scout and Jem like they were also her children. She bathed them, dressed them, fed them, and took poll of how their day was every evening.

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487 Words | 2 Pages

Calpurnia is Jem and Scouts mother figure, because their mother died due to a sudden heart attack. Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church, First Purchase, and introduces them to the fact that not all black people are bad people. She shows courage because it’s nerve racking to bring 2 white children to an all black church. Calpurnia says, “I don’t want anybody sayin’ I don’t look after my children” (Lee pg. 118). Calpurnia takes pride in Jem and Scout and shows a massive amount of courage taking these children to her type of life, and to her church.

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479 Words | 2 Pages

So as you can see, Aunt Alexandra has changed not only socially, but at a very foray type pace that is very noticeable. She would at first hate colored people and as well as disrespecting and disagreeing with Atticus and Scout to being a loving, nice and respectful person to all no matter how nebulous it was to

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600 Words | 3 Pages

On the first day of school, the 6-year old was busy ‘rubbing his[Walter’s] nose in the dirt’ for his supposed involvement in Scout’s punishment (Chapter 3, Page 30). She might be seen as an extrovert and rough girl in the book, however it is seen that she is a prudent person too. She even made her older brother into a careful risk-taker who often stopped his shenanigans when her (Scout’s) ‘nagging got the better of [him] (Chapter 5, Page 55). She is also strong-headed and will not hear a single word against her family. When Francis called her father a ‘nigger-lover’, she could not control her rage and ‘split her knuckle to the bone on [Francis’] front teeth’

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628 Words | 3 Pages

In Part One of Harper Lee’s commended American novel To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), the rabid dog that roams Maycomb’s streets and the town’s perceptions of the dog are direct symbols for the varying degrees of racism that pervades small town life. Maycomb, a small Southern community, is chock full of conscious bias and racism. One day, a dog named Tim Johnson is discovered by the narrator, Scout, and her brother Jem, to be rabid. Throughout the chapter, Tim Johnson becomes increasingly fitting as a symbol of racism in this novel. Calpurnia, the Finch’s African American maid, proclaims: “I know it’s February, Miss Eula May, but I know a mad dog when I see one.

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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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286 Words | 2 Pages

Parental influence can strongly effect the way a child grows up to be. Aunt Alexandra has grown up in a wealthy area, learning the ways a true southern lady should behave. When she is first introduced in the book, Scout portrays her as “cold and there” (Lee 103) during her childhood. She is self-reliable, and likes being in charge. She may be strict and uptight, but she has a commitment to her family as well.

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1030 Words | 5 Pages

She challenged Aunt Alexandra by stating that she can “be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well” (89). This often got her into trouble throughout the story. However, toward the end of the story one can see the significant change in her personality. She tends to be more thoughtful. Along with that, Scout would try to steer clear of fighting if it was possible.

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621 Words | 3 Pages

The children’s interactions with people different than themselves teach them valuable life lessons. The first interaction Scout had with Aunt Alexandra was quite frustrating for her. Scout was wearing overalls and Aunt Alexandra was being very critical about that. Along with a few other things like how scout was behaving and how she should have been behaving. She wants Scout to be more lady-like but the way she delivers the message, with negativity, hurts Scout feelings: “ […] that I was born good but had grown progressively worse each year.

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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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253 Words | 2 Pages

The relationship between Calpurnia and Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is interesting because in spite of their love-hate relationship Calpurnia is the closest figure to a mother both Scout and Jem have. We get to know Calpurnia through Scout’s eyes as a mother-like figure who is hard on Scout in some situations and loving in others. We get to see the tough, bossy, and strict side as well as the soft, nurturing, kind and motherly side. Even though she is just an African American housekeeper, she has been a member of the Finch’s Family and means much more as she is one of the few black people in Maycomb who is educated. She teaches Scout to write during rainy days as well as carrying the responsibility of teaching Scout and Jem

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702 Words | 3 Pages

In my opinion, Calpurnia is a much better mother figure that Aunt Alexandra. Calpurnia shows the children love and compassion throughout their lives. She takes care of them, cooking for them and teaching them to read. When Jem starts to grow up and mature, he begins to push Scout away. Calpurnia took Scout to the kitchen with her and bonds with her.

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1001 Words | 5 Pages

My all time favorite part of the novel that Calpurnia is in is when Calpurnia takes the children to her church. During this part Calpurnia agrees to take the children to church with her because she doesn’t trust the children to go to their church without getting in trouble because Atticus was out of town, so Jem and Scout would have been without parental supervision. After Calpurnia got them ready by cleaning them as clean as possible, they went to church. A lady named Lula confronts Calpurnia about bringing the children, but after that

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