The Role Model Qualities Shown by the Finchs's Maid in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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The book To Kill a Mockingbird was written in 1960 by small town Alabama girl Harper Lee. She claimed the book was a love story, but it went much deeper than that. Covering the lives of Jem and Scout Finch as they grew up in Maycomb, a prosperous county of Alabama, the book offered an unbiased view of what went on in that era; mainly racism. Scout and Jem's father, Atticus, was a lawyer who fought a hopeless case for Tom Robinson, a crippled African-American man accused of raping a local white woman. They sat and watched as the woman's father- Bob Ewell, made several attempts to harm their family. The last of which was halted by Boo Radley. Why this man did what he did for the children may very well have been because they weren't like the other kids in the neighborhood, as they didn't think he was a monster, like the other children, whom were not as well raised as the Finches. One very prominent teacher in their childhood was Calpurnia, the loyal housemaid of the Finch family. She was kind, if not somewhat stern, and made a wonderful role model for the kids. As much as they might have claimed her not to be, Calpurnia was actually an extremely kind person. This is very evident one Saturday morning while Atticus is away, she offered: “How'd you and mister Jem like to come to church with me tomorrow?” (156) This shows how she enjoys their company, and doesn't want them to be alone. Calpurnia also proves her selfless compassion for others the day she is told of a mad dog coming down the street. “I don't care, I'm gonna tell them” (124) she exclaims while heading down the road to inform the Radleys of the impending peril, despite the fact that may be in danger herself. Giving us an idea that even though some circumstances may lea... ... middle of paper ... ...not limited to just the finches. The day Tim Johnson (the mad dog) came limping down the street, Cal called the operator to make sure everyone was safe. “Miss Eula May- now ma'am.... can you call miss Rachel and miss Stephanie Crawford and whoever's got a phone on this street and tell 'em a mad dog's comin'? Please ma'am!” (123) This quote accurately shows how frantic and worried she was, it also gives us a glimpse of how dedicated she was to the neighborhood's safety. To conclude, although Calpurnia was stern towards the children, she was also very kind and loyal, as proven through her constant discipline of the rowdy Finch children, and the consideration of almost everyone in Maycomb county (with some rare exceptions like Bob Ewell). Making a very good role model, Cal ultimately helped Scout and Jem how to understand and treat the people in the world around them.

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