In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” Harper Lee shows many examples of how characters can be differentiated in ways that distinguish as well as dictate their behavior. The town of Maycomb seemed to have many expectations of its citizens based on stereotypes. Maycomb was judgmental and inflexible in its views, trying to be something that it was not. In this world, no one lives a life without stereotypes, which is why Lee focuses heavily on this idea throughout the book. Three main characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Calpurnia, Scout, and Boo Radley, are great examples of characters who often fit into but sometimes do not adhere to the codes of expected behavior. These characters demonstrated ways that following the rules as well as breaking them can be both helpful and harmful.
Calpurnia, the Finch’s maid was viewed by many to be a poor black woman. In reality she was very smart and assumed the role of a white mother to the Finch children. She tried to teach them manners, proper etiquette, and how to read and write. These were not necessarily things that a black woman would be expected to do, but it helped her to maintain a good job with the Finch’s. An example of Calpurnia going back to following
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Calpurnia, Scout, and Boo Radley are just three examples of individuals who have at times been judged unfairly, but in spite of this, kept moving on with their lives regardless of what people thought. Harper Lee shows many examples in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” of characters who are expected to follow certain codes of behavior. Often the characters follow these codes but sometimes do not. Following the rules is safe for the characters but it doesn’t always make them happy. Although there can be backlash to breaking the stereotypes and the expected codes of behavior, the character who did usually ended up being stronger in the