Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Calpurnia vs. Scout
Calpurnia, the cook of the Finch family, doesn’t just have a job of filling the kid’s tummies. Calpurnia fulfils the disciplinary aspect of their lives, specifically Scout, who continuously is agitated from the constant structure and tries to persuade the reader to feel sympathy for her also. However, Scout is only six years old and as a reader, I cannot trust her perspective on this matter because she still has the mind-set of a child. Scout complains, “ She was always ordering me out of the kitchen… and calling me home when I wasn’t ready to come home”. She also says, “Our battles were epic and one-sided. Calpurnia always won, mainly because Atticus always took her side”. This quote explains how Atticus allows Cal to have responsibility towards the Jem and Scout and to act as the mother Scout never had. Scout’s relationship with Calpurnia is exceptional. Cal is always looking for the best of Scout and expects her to be polite. Rather than being strict, Cal is always there for her and she even taught Scout how to write. The best way to describe their bond is that they have a mother-daughter relationship. As time goes on, Scout will realize that Cal is not trying to be a foe, she is just making sure Scout grows up becoming well mannered.
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With Calpurnia, it’s not just discipline, or even just being the Mom. Calpurnia teaches Scout to have respect for another human being. I agree with you: Calpurnia fulfills the roles of both disciplinarian and mother-like. But, because she is black and a woman, she can also teach Scout about how to be a good person, no matter who you are. She shows Scout how not to judge someone on how little they have, like Walter Cunningham. I think Calpurnia, really, treats Scout as more of an adult, even though she is only 6. She expects Scout to behave with the same kind of dignity and strength that Calpurnia does. Still, Scout is only 6 so that she reacts just that way. “I’d fix her: one of these days when she wasn’t looking I’d go off and drown myself in Barker’s Eddy and then she’d be sorry.” She fights Calpurnia about being well mannered but she doesn’t fight her about being a decent person. In conclusion, do you think Calpurnia acts like this towards everyone she knows or just close friends? In other words, do you think Calpurnia would speak up if any person was being treated disrespectfully?
ReplyDeleteEmma
As it is true that Calpurnia fulfills the disciplinary aspect of their lives, she also acts as a mother. Though Scout may not know it, Calpurnia treats her with respect and cares for her just as a mother would. Scout takes for granted what would be considered as hidden acts of love on Calpurnia's part. Instead, Scout complains about what was mentioned above, which may sometimes persuade the reader into thinking that Calpurnia treats her badly. In to Kill a Mockingbird, Scout says, "Calpurnia was to blame for this... She would set me a writing task by scrawling the alphabet firmly across the top of a tablet, then copying out a chapter of the Bible beneath." This quote expresses how Scout doesn't appreciate the things that Calpurnia does. She should be glad that Calpurnia taught her to write, while most children in her school have barely learned yet. Instead, she considers it disadvantageous because her teacher, Miss Caroline, told her that she wouldn't learn to write until the third grade. I agree that Scout's point of view on Calpurnia cannot be trusted solely because she is only six years old. As a young girl, her point of view is based on what she is feeling inside, rather than what the logical/literal interpretation of a person or situation might be. I also agree on the point above about Calpurnia not being necessarily strict. She gives proper punishment that was not looked harshly upon during the time period. Calpurnia's disciplinary acts also exhibit how she is much more than a cook to the Finch household. She is a part of the family, whether Scout knows it or not. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the narrator (Scout) expresses her point of view on situations, and many of the characters in the book. But how do characters like Calpurnia feel about Scout, based on inferences made from the book?
ReplyDeleteNicole
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ReplyDeleteIn To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia acts as a mother-figure to Scout even though Scout doesn’t appreciate what Cal is trying to do for her. Because Scout is still just a young girl, she doesn’t understand what Cal makes of her. Unfortunately, when Cal tries to help or teach her, she tends to take it in a wrong way by acting furious about it. One time during a dinner Walter Cunningham was invited to, Cal pulled Scout away when she was acting inappropriately. Cal said, “...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?” Hearing this made Scout angry, as she took it in a way that she was a bad kid for what she did. What she didn’t understand was that Cal only mentioned it to teach her a lesson for the next time she had company. Cal only wanted to help her, but that wasn’t how Scout took it. The next day, Scout complained about how Cal was mean to her by saying, “She likes Jem better’n she likes me, anyway.” She is only nine years old, so it’s expected that she gets angered easily, but if she understood what Cal was doing for her, it would help her significantly. As Scout progresses in the book, I’m sure she will start to understand what Calpurnia is trying to do for her. The sooner they think alike, the stronger their relationship will be.
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