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Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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The Road to Maturity

Important relationships often impact the way people think and behave. Our friends, teachers, and family all have the opportunity to not only teach us valuable life lessons but also shape the way we grow and mature as a person. This is demonstrated in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, through the life of Scout Finch and how she is impacted by the people around her. Because of the relationships Scout maintains with Ms. Maudie, Calpurnia, and Atticus, she learns important life lessons and reaches a deeper sense of maturity.
Ms. Maudie is one of the main female role models in Scout’s life and teaches her to be humble and view people in a different way. In chapter 10, Scout questions why Atticus never talked about how great …show more content…

In chapter 14, Aunt Alexandra brings up the idea of getting rid of Calpurnia and Atticus quickly defends her and her role in the Finch family. “She’s a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to accept things the way they are…Besides, I don’t think the children’ve suffered one bit from her having brought them up. If anything, she’s been harder on them in some ways than a mother would have been… she’s never let them get away with anything, she’s never indulged them the way most colored nurses do. She tried to bring them up according to her lights, and Cal’s lights are pretty good—and another thing, the children love her” (137). Atticus talks about the large part Calpurnia has played in raising the children and the role she took on being a mother figure. Through Calpurnia’s important role in Scout’s life, she was able to teach her many lessons that a mother would have taught her. Without Calpurnia as an important figure in her life, Scout would have most likely lacked many skills including respect and how to be polite. “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 table cloth you let him, you hear?” (24). Calpurnia makes it clear to Scout that no matter what they do, when you have company over you treat them as your guests and with respect. Through Calpurnia’s lessons and words of advice, Scout becomes more

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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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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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Calpurnia is originally just a cook and somebody to help take care of the kids in the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird, but as the book continues she grows a relationship with the kids and takes on a motherly role for them. “Calpurnia bent down to kiss me”. Lee -. Calpurnia is now seen as a mother figure throughout the novel, she constructively criticizes Scout and Jem and assists the kids and to substantiate that they learn from their mistakes. Towards the end of To kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia seems to have less condensation which can show that Scout and Jem are growing up and are both having a coming-to-age moment.

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and she seldom rewarded me.” (21) Scout focused on her education and staying driven means Calpurnia will reward for doing a good job helping Scout learn that you must work hard to do other things in life and to not slack off. Calpurnia also believes that manners and hospitality are crucial when having guests and thinks that Scout may need some work in that department. An example of this is shown during an early stage in the book where Walter Cunningham comes to the house for lunch. Walter never has anything fancy for dinner.

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Atticus was out of town and the kids didn’t know what to do. Calpurnia was going to church and she invited them to come with her. Even though Calpurnia isn’t always the nicest she does everything she can to keep them safe and out of trouble. Scout states “ I had caused Calpurnia to deny my entrance to the house every time she saw me with a stick in my hand.

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He poured it all over--” (Lee 24). What she did not understand was that his family was less fortunate than the Finch’s, and he did not get to eat like this at home. Seconds later, Scout learns one of the limits of adult patience when Calpurnia calls her into the kitchen to scold her. “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo’ folks might be better’n than the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em-- if you can’t act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen” (Lee 25).

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She had always been too hard on me, she had at last seen the error of her fractious ways, she was sorry and too stubborn to say so” (Lee 28). As it's stated in the quote that Calpurnia is hard on Scout, but it is out of love for her that she is hard on them. She just wants the kids to grow up and have the best life that they can. Calpurnia had been in their life when their mother died.

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Calpurnia distinguishes when to pomp kindness and harshness to the children. She helps Atticus with disciplining the kids and helps around the house. Despite the Negro stereotype of being imbecilic, she portrays insight on how to live a double life as a civilized Negro. “It’s not necessary to tell all you know. It’s not ladylike-in the second place, folks don’t’ like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do.

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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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Miss. Maudie is referring to the fact that Scout is too young to understand what is occurring or that she is not old enough to understand the ordeal with Mr. Arthur. Scout is still a young girl, who is still trying to comprehend the world. Nevertheless, Scout is misjudged by Miss. Maudie based on her age.

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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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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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Walter Cunningham is poor and has no lunch so Jem and Scout invite him to eat with them. Scout was openly disapproving of the way Walter is eating so Calpurnia has to teach her a lesson on how not all people are as well off as them so we should not judge others because we do not like the way they do

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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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