Calpurnia Mother Quotes

Aunt Alexandra and Calpurnia act as mothers to Scout throughout the entire novel. Though Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra have very different parenting techniques, Scout is still given a great example of what a woman, as well as mother, does and is. Even though Calpurnia is the hired help at the Finch house she acts as a very strong and ever present mother figure to both Jem and Scout. She has been the one to care for Scout and Jem since they were young. She is regarded as a very important person in the Finch home. Atticus is heard several times throughout the novel defending Calpurnia to his children as well as his sister. In one part of the story Atticus defends her position in the household to Aunt Alexandra who suggests that she be let go, but Atticus states that “She’s a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to accept things the way they are.”
She has shaped Scout into the person that she is at the beginning of the novel and continues to shape and help her grow throughout it. Calpurnia shows her motherly role by being the homemaker, a teacher, authoritative figure, a comforter, and a defender. Atticus is heard telling Aunt Alexandra that he never would’ve been able to continue in his lifestyle if it weren’t for her being home with the children. He also …show more content…
When Scout asks Atticus if she would be able to visit Calpurnia at her home, Aunt Alexandra interjects before Atticus could get a word in exclaiming that Scout would not be taking that trip. For the same reason she’s critical of Scout’s tomboy ways, she denied her request to go to Calpurnia’s house, to protect her from the things the town would say. Since Maycomb is a small town there is little chance that people wouldn’t find out Scout visited Calpurnia and at that time it wouldn’t have looked right for a white child to go and willfully spend her day in the black