Scout’s trip to church with Calpurnia made her see
Calpurnia’s different personality around whites and blacks. Calpurnia brought
Jem and Scout to her own church because Atticus was away on a business trip.
When Scout went there she realized that Calpurnia lives different lives and
says, “That Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me”(Lee 167). One
of those lives is at the Finch’s home. The other is at the church. Scout
notices that Calpurnia speaks differently in these two lives. At the Finch’s
she is articulate with her words, speaking in complete sentences and saying
every syllable. On the contrary, at the church her words are contracted and missing
syllables like, “They’s my comp’ny”(Lee 158). Scout’s view on Calpurnia changes
when she sees the different lives that Calpurnia lives, surprising Scout who thought
that she knew Calpurnia very well.
In chapter 10 we learn a lot about not only Calpurnia's double lives, but also who she is as a person. Calpurnia is kind and brave. In the beginning of the book, Scout thought that Calpurnia was just very mean to her and always took Jem's sides of the arguments. Now that Jem is starting to leave Scout behind, Calpurnia is being very nice to Scout and encourages her to "just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome," (Lee 154). Calpurnia is portrayed as brave when Lula confronts Cal and asks her why Calpurnia is "bringin' white chillun to nigger church," (Lee 158). Cal stands her ground and says that Jem and Scout are her company, and they should be welcomed just as equally as everyone else. Although most people think of whites as being racist against Blacks, this situation shows that it acually goes both ways sometimes.
ReplyDeleteCalpurnia does have multiple personalities that change based on her company. Calpurnia makes sure that Scout and Jem look presentable before going to church because "[she] don't want anybody sayin' [she] don't look after [her] children" (Lee 157). Considering Scout and Jem her own children, Calpurnia wants to be the protective mother-like figure in their lives. She does this by not only protecting them, but also by trying to teach them all she can at home and be a good role model. At church, surrounded by people her own race, Calpurnia does not make an effort to speak properly and pronounce her words fully. "They's my comp'ny" (Lee 158). When she is at home with Jem and Scout, she talks fully enunciating every syllable to try and be a good example for them. Her change in vocabulary shows that Calpurnia does care about Scout and Jem very much, and wants them to grow into the best people they can be.
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