Examples Of Calpurnia In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In the 1930s, there were many problems facing the South. States like Alabama were full of racial discrimination, poverty, and injustice; topics that are a bit hard to digest for a young girl. In the fictional town of Maycomb, Scout Finch, a hot-headed, yet impressionable girl, goes on an internal journey as she learns more about the world around her. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, the author, follows Scout as she matures and learns to see from the perspective of others, especially Calpurnia and Boo Radley.
The reader can see Scout’s maturing perspective through her relationship with Calpurnia. Calpurnia, or Cal, was the black cook and caretaker for the Finch household and throughout the story acted as a mother to Scout and her brother Jem. Like any other mother, Cal disciplined Scout often, which caused Scout to resent her at first. In the beginning, Scout complains about Cal saying that “she was always ordering me about the kitchen, asking me why I couldn’t behave well” and that she had “felt her tyrannical presence for as long as I could remember.” Like most children of her age, Scout dislikes being ordered about, which causes her to be hostile towards her and blinds her to how much she depends on her. As the story goes on, Scout spends more time with Cal, which eases their relationship dynamic. Scout says that “ Calpurnia’s tyranny, unfairness, and meddling in my business had faded to gentle grumblings of disapproval.” This shows how Scout is maturing because she is giving Cal fewer …show more content…
Scout’s understanding of characters like Boo Radley and Calpurnia slowly change as the story progresses. Although Scout is not completely grown up by the end of the story, she is definitely a changed person by the end, with a new perspective on those
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