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Importance Of Calpurnia In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is centered around a rape case that is basically the word of a black man against the word of two white people. This case directly affects the Finch family because their father, Atticus Finch, is defending the black man on trial. The setting of the story, Maycomb County, has a history of racism and the people don’t want to change. Atticus is fighting an uphill battle with the support of his family, Scout and Jem, as well as their cook and maid Calpurnia. Calpurnia is black, and she happens to be a very important and influential character in the story. Some examples of her importance include her influence on the Finch children, her beliefs about equality, and her relationship with the black community. Calpurnia has a great influence on the actions of the Finch children because of her position in their family. Calpurnia is the family’s cook, which means she is …show more content…

Because Calpurnia is black, she goes to the black church in Maycomb called First Purchase African M.E. Church. One sunday when Atticus is out of town Calpurnia brings the children to her church. At the church, a woman named Lula has a problem with white children being in her church. She says, “I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church” (158). Calpurnia replies, “They’s my comp’ny” (158). This also shows that Calpurnia believes that even white people should be treated fairly which is what she adds to the story. She provides the viewpoint of what she and other black people think of white people. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird has many important characters. One of these characters happens to be Calpurnia. Calpurnia brings many things to the story like her views about equality, her views about other blacks, and her relationship with the Finch family. Calpurnia is an irreplaceable character and the book would be very different without

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Calpurnia is the cook at the Finch household, but she acts more like a nanny than just a cook sometimes. She is an African-American woman and cares very much for the children. Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem Finch, whom Calpurnia looks after. Calpurnia and Atticus are both loving of the children and quite wise. They both understand how things work in the world around them.

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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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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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479 Words | 2 Pages

At the beginning of the book, when Aunt Alexandra was first introduced, she was seen and told to be very racist and malevolent against colored people. And it didn't help that the Finches maid, Calpurnia, was colored. Immediately when she arrived at the Finches, she would tell Calpurnia to, “put my bags in the front bedroom,”

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506 Words | 3 Pages

Atticus could easily disregard this case, but he aims to defend Tom to the best of his ability. The fact that Atticus spent his time working and defending a black person to the best he can shows that Atticus does not judge people on what race they are. Calpurnia is the the house cook and a black person, but he still respects her. There is no way Atticus can be discriminating against different races with him defending Tom in court and having Calpurnia as a cook for the house.

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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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1764 Words | 8 Pages

At the beginning of the book, Scout is completely unfamiliar with racism. She describes Calpurnia to be “something else” (8) and that “she was all angles and bones …” (8) and “her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard” (8). Not once was Calpurnia mentioned to be black or of a different race. To Scout, she is just another human being.

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881 Words | 4 Pages

Calpurnia is one of the lucky ones that doesn't deal with all of the hate, but Atticus a white man gets a lot of hate for doing the right thing. The case has caused Atticus and his children

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Discrimination is shown throughout To Kill A Mockingbird in numerous ways. Racism and prejudice are shown when the jury makes the ruling to convict Tom Robinson as guilty, despite all of the evidence to prove his innocence; Scout is known for being a tomboy. The lessons about discrimination that Scout learns throughout the novel are applicable to all types of prejudice, Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem Finch, is judged for defending Tom Robinson, an innocent man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a low class teenage girl. Since most of the community is racist, Tom Robinson’s case is very hard for Atticus to defend. They do not believe a white man should be defending a black man.

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Calpurnia’s act of coexisting in two worlds is something the people of Maycomb do not accept in their social standards. She accepts white and black people even though she is aware of the risks involved with her actions. When Calpurnia acts differently than most people in her society, she disrupts society’s traditions of never mixing the two races. Although Calpurnia is pressured into living like the people around her, she continues to live her life the way she wants. Calpurnia knows that she cannot change the way everyone deals with society’s pressures, but by detaching herself from the cultural norms she is taking a step closer to

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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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381 Words | 2 Pages

Correspondingly to figurative language, Lee also uses diction is to imply a message about racism and justice in Maycomb County. The "inflexible and time regarded code" of society was that, while, white individuals could utilize and even endeavor African-Americans, there could be no individual relationship between African-Americans and whites and no acknowledgment that African-Americans had the same responses and emotions as white individuals. Furthermore, there was an obnoxious assumption "that all Blacks lie, that all Blacks are essentially indecent creatures". “Despite the fact that Calpurnia is a female, Aunt Alexandra neglects her great work as a result of her race” (Lee p.129). The Court trial is described by Lee with strong diction in

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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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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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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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