Mrs.Carson
English II HN
11-12-10
Character Roles In To Kill A Mockingbird
The characters in To Kill A Mockingbird represent the stereotypes of people who lived in the south. During this time blacks and whites lived in a segregated society. The influence of segregation had an effect on how characters interacted with each other. The children of Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout were deeply affected by the influence of the characters around them . Their influence helped shape their character and beliefs as they matured. Characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, paint a picture of the stereotypes found throughout the south in the early 1930's They demonstrate the influence of the community o the mindset of young and old …show more content…
She was acknowledged as a motherly figure. Jem's statement to Scout, "You don't 'n I'll tell Calpurnia on you," (pg. 45) shows Calpurnia set and enforced the rules the children were to live by. Scout had taken gum from a tree and put the wad in her mouth. When Jem questioned where she got the gum and found out it had been taken off a tree he began fussing at her and told her to rinse her mouth out. When Scout refused, Jem told her he would tell Calpurnia, just as any child would do with their mother. Calpurnia also attempted to teach the children not to be racist. She brought them to black church even though those that criticized her said, "You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here; they got their church, we got our'n." (pg. 158) Calpurnia was said to have a split personality. She lived a parallel life attempting to expose the children to both the black and white ways. Her speech and actions would change when she was with whites or blacks even though she tried to help Jem and Scout respect both races as equals. Calpurnia served the children as a Nanny and mother figure and attempted to teach them to respect both races as equals, she demonstrated the differences each and every day. Actions speak louder than words and Calpurnia's actions showed a deep divide between blacks and whites in