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To Kill A Mockingbird Calpurnia Quotes

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Whoever said you can't be friends with your maid? In Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch family's negro maid, Calpurina, is known as a family friend. Calpurnia plays a very important role in the lives of Scout, Jem, and Atticus. While Calpurnia does have a life outside of her job, a majority of her time is spent in the Finch home. Because so much of her time is spent with the children and Atticus, she has an effective impact on them. Calpurnia is known to be humble, motherly, and defensive. Calpurnia is a very humble person. She speaks little of her personal life, or any achievements she may have accomplished in the past. When Scout goes with Calpurnia to church she discovers that Calpurnia lives a separate, intriguing life outside of the Finch's home. Scout states, "That Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me." (125) Being a maid, Calpurnia had always lived to serve other people and meet their needs. Yes, she had a low-class job but she never complained about her life. This shows yet another example of her humbleness. …show more content…

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. " 'I don't want nobody sayin' I don't look after my children,' she muttered." (118) Calpurnia definitely acted like a mother towards Scout and

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468 Words | 2 Pages

Calpurnia is the hired housekeeper that takes care of the house and kids. Atticus leaves his trust with her to keep the children together. The children though walk around town and go on adventures without either of them knowing. When Jem and Scout would get into trouble, Atticus would find out through the sheriff or other people around town. This shows the distance between the father and the children.

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578 Words | 3 Pages

Calpurnia is a good mother figure. When Jem does not want to play with Scout anymore, Cal comforts her and says she can spend time with her. She keeps them clean and cares about them. Before Cal took them to her church she made them “soap all over twice and drew fresh water in the tub for every rinse” (Lee, 156). She even says “I don’t anyone sayin’ I don’t look after my children” (Lee, 157).

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945 Words | 4 Pages

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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401 Words | 2 Pages

This quote shows Calpurnia in her wrathful righteousness, and shows that she is respectful towards people that are different. It is likely that Calpurnia has witnessed how people treat those who are different, and doesn’t want Scout to be one of those people. This quote is important since it teaches us more about Calpurnia, and shows us where Scout gets her lessons from. Quote #

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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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521 Words | 3 Pages

Humility, one of the best virtues to have, gets used in many characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee valued humility and incorporated it into the positive characters of the book. She showed many people with non who acted like fools. Then she also had many characters who demonstrated it. She displayed the value of having humility and some of the best characters known for it today come from her book.

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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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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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1247 Words | 5 Pages

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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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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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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727 Words | 3 Pages

Calpurina is slowly trying to influence her in a lady like way: "So you just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome." (Lee 154). Calpurnia tries to get Scout in the kitchen because Calpurnia believes that's where women belong. Calpurnia was always happy to see Scout in the kitchen: "She seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen, and I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl." (Lee 154).

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871 Words | 4 Pages

Scout said herself the only time she sees Aunt Alexandra is at mealtimes or before bedtime. When the children do converse with Alexandra, the conversations are often kept short, awkward, and rude. “When I appeared in the doorway, Aunty would look as if she regretted her request” (Lee 176). Scout was constantly reminded of how she feels pleasant with Calpurnia. Calpurnia is a better mother figure than Aunt Alexandra.

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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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