Preview

Calpurnia Mother Figure Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
888 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Calpurnia Mother Figure Essay
For one thing, Calpurnia is a better mother figure than Aunt Alexandra. When reading chapters ten through fifteen Calpurnia is a good example of a mother to Jem and Scout. The first reason she is a better mother figure is Calpurnia is always doing her best to help Scout out. Scout asked Cal if she could go to her house sometime and Cal said Scout could come anytime. Calpurnia always is willing to be around Scout and be a good female influents. Jem has been having some mood swings and has been mean to Scout lately and Cal has helped her through it. Calpurnia tries to explain to Scout that Jem is growing up and he sometimes is going to act me to her. In the book it states, “Jem’s gowin’ up. He’s gonna want to be off to himself a lot now, doin’ …show more content…
Scout and Jem wanted to go to church with Calpurnia and she lets them go with. She helps them get ready just like a mother would. Some of the church folks did not want Scout and Jem to be able to go to their church because they were white, but Calpurnia sticks up for the kids. In the book it says, “They’s my comp’ny, said Calpurnia” (Lee 158). Calpurnia does not let people bring the kids down. The last reason Calpurnia is a better mother figure is when Atticus sticks up for her and says she is like a mom to the kids. Calpurnia is constantly cooking and cleaning in the house. Stay at home mom’s do the same thing. Atticus thinks that Calpurnia is a big help even with Aunt Alexandra their. He wants Cal to stay at their house as long as she wants. In the book it states, “If anything, she’s been 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 lights are pretty good-and another thing, the children love her” (Lee 183). Scout and Jem really enjoy Calpurnia at their house over Aunt

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    That Calpurnia had been with the Finches since Jem’s birth suggests that she is part of the family. Atticus trusts her to take care…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to church, some individuals are glad to meet them except one woman named Lula. When Lula decides to approach Cal she questions her about bringing white children to a black church. “You got no business bringin’ white chillun here -- they got their church, we got our’n, it is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?”(Lee 158). “It’s the same God, ain’t it?”(Lee 158). This demonstrates that Lula does not approve of the white race coming to places they do not belong to. Calpurnia defends them by reason of her caring for them as she would for her own children. Cal thus far only cares for “her babies” protection seeing that they see her as their only mother…

    • 124 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Aunt Alexandra suggests that Atticus get rid of Calpurnia, he rejects the idea, and commends Calpurnia for raising the children up to her standards. Calpurnia also reprimands Scout for pointing out her guest’s bad eating habits. “‘There’s some folks who don’t eat like us,’ she whispered fiercely, ‘but you ain’t called on to contradict ‘em at the table when they don’t’”(32). Even if they don’t enjoy learning them, she knows that her lessons in manners will help them in the future.…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Calpurnia is very respectful towards Atticus and his kids. For instance, she calls Jem Mister and always shows kindness towards Atticus. In contrast, Alexandra tries to tell Atticus how to raise his children and run the house. In the text it states, “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire.” (81). This shows how she wants to raise the children differently than Atticus has. Furthermore, Calpurnia and Alexandra have similar character traits because they both believe a child should grow up with limits. For instance, Calpurnia raised the children to listen to what she and Atticus tell them as well as Alexandra while she stays with the Finch family. Their character traits are one way to compare and contrast Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra.…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Calpurnia is the African-American cook and housekeeper for the Finches. She acts as a mother figure and disciplinarian in the Finch household. In some ways, she even takes the place of Scout and Jem's dead mother. Atticus trusts Calpurnia, relies on her for support raising his children, and considers her as part of the family.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Calpurnia consistently demonstrates her belief in the importance of perspective as she teaches Jem and Scout of it and interacts between the black and white community of Maycomb County.…

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many people in To Kill a Mockingbird that have significant influences of Scout and Jem's actions. The two that stood out boldly to me, however, were Atticus and Calpurnia. Atticus, being the children's father, tought his kids many moral lessons. Calpurnia acted as a mother to Jem and Scout. Throughout every chapter these two characters…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Calpurnia is a cook at Scout, one of the main characters', house. Calpurnia is African american and has a darker skin color while Scout is white. One day Calpurnia takes Scout to her church to teach her about God. When she gets there all the people in the church are against having a white individual step into their church.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch's Life

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    On page 125 there was a racist conversation between Jem, Scout and Calpurnia. Jem asked Calpurnia why she talked like the rest of the other colored people while in church. Calpurnia started to explain that it’s the right thing to do even though she knows how to talk like…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mama Archetype Essay

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Furthermore, her characteristics align with that of the ‘Mammy’ archetype, and she is portrayed as an elderly, loving motherly figure, providing to her family’s needs. However, she is also depicted as somewhat uneducated and bound by the traditions of her past, which reinforces the ‘Mammy’ archetype, of a women who despite being a caring motherly figure, does not know much outside of her household duties due to a lack of opportunity to further educate herself. This ‘uneducated’ attitude can be particularly seen through Mama’s interactions with Beneatha, a more educated and modern young female characters, in their discussions regarding heritage and education. Mama is unable to understand Beneatha’s refusal to assimilate and need to express herself as an African-American women who is proud of her heritage, asking her continuously ‘what is it you want to express?’ This creates a sense of irony around the situation by displaying Mama’s lack of understanding towards Beneatha’s desire to destroy societies black stereotypes, whilst allowing Hansberry to simultaneously reinforce the concept that Mama is a stereotypical character stuck in the ‘Mammy’ archetype and unable to break out of it.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Haper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" the characters face adversity that develop the controversial, effective themes. Lee uses both racism and discrimination themes are represented in this novel, especially through the character Atticus's actions and words. Accordingly, Atticus believes that racism is wrong and despite what everyone else thinks, strives to see both races equally. For example, Aunt Alexandra moves in with the Finches because she strongly believes that Jem and Scout need a feminine mentor in their life but excludes Calpurnia, who is of the opposite race. She even attempts to change everything about how Atticus fathers his children and how he treats Calpurnia; including how he speaks to her at home.…

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the principal aims of To Kill a Mockingbird is to subject the narrator to a series of…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church, a churchgoer named Lula ridicules Calpurnia for bringing white children to an African American church. Lula scolded Calpurnia. “‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here...they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal’” (119)? Lula displayed the racial prejudice by criticizing Calpurnia and the kids. She believed that the African American churches were not obtainable to the white citizens and that they should only attend their own church. By believing this, Lula feels that the blacks and the whites should be separated because of their race. Lastly, racial prejudice was shown when a man named Tom Robinson was convicted of a crime he did not commit exclusively because of his race. Mayella Ewell had accused Tom of raping her and beating her with very little evidence and an indefinite testimony. However, the intolerant jury convicted Tom of this crime because he was an African American. Atticus defended Tom in the court case and stated “‘The witnesses for the state, have presented themselves to you gentlemen…in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption…that all Negro men are not to be trusted…’” (204). Atticus came up with a plethora of approaches that would debunk the evidence against Tom, yet none of…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    While Calpurnia plays a major role within To Kill a Mockingbird, she is discriminated against because of her race.…

    • 1838 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the story, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus is one of those `ideal fathers.' Atticus is a single father raising his two children, Scout and Jem, and doing a great job too. Do you ever wish that the 'cool dads from TV' could be your own? In the story, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus is one of those 'ideal fathers.' Atticus is a single father raising his two children, Scout and Jem, and doing a great job too. They also have Calpurnia, the black cook, who is the most mom-like person they've had. Living in Maycomb County, Jem is eldest and Scout is the younger one. Atticus shares a truthful relationship with his kids that will always be treasured. Atticus is such a great parent because he's a man of patience, he understands children, and he teaches them many morals.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics