Who was the defendant in To Kill a Mockingbird? Zeebo was a clown who stole the entire carnival's payroll back in 1924 and then died in a funhouse in a fire caused by one of the cigars he loved to smoke. Shotgun. In the struggle for civil rights, black activists frequently employed hearses as a means of transportation because they believed that the police would be less likely to stop them. From that moment his ghost haunts the spookhouse rebuilt on the ruins of the previous one, where is placed a dummy with his appearance. What mental illness does Boo Radley have? "36 There are, however, considerable tensions in this construction of black women as asexual beings: tensions generated by white desire. Indeed, Dr. and Mrs. King frequently traveled to and from events in this fashion.80 While the small gathering of black dignitaries on Calpurnia's porch show the traditional signs of deference to Jean Louise upon her arrival, they nevertheless continue to watch her in a way that makes her uncomfortable, suggesting that they, too, are wearing the mask that Calpurnia has worn for most of her life. It is possible that Zeebo and Alexandra drew on the same family source when naming their children, just as Jem was named after his father and grandfather, and Jean Louise after her mother and grandmother (114-115). Who is Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird? That fourth might be another of Calpurnia's sons, though if that is the case, it is odd that Calpurnia does not mention it. She and her family are one of the only black people in the novel that can read and write, and it was her that taught Scout how to write. "65 Such, perhaps, was the experience of the Zeebo of Watchman. While most Mockingbird critics appear to embrace Atticus's assertion that Calpurnia is a member of the family, others see her depiction as rather more problematic. Dollard also observes that the lawyer's grown son had a black mistress. The children enjoy their time at First Purchase African M.E. When he sings a . "47 His question is worthy of serious consideration, for Raymond's riverbank was, or was until not too long before the novel begins, what Finch's Landing appears no longer to be by the time of the trial: a working cotton plantation. Church who is upset when Scout and Jem attend services there. One of the most pernicious effects of the mammy trope is the role that it played in perpetuating the Southern myths of willing black subordination and benevolent slavery. "58 Her skill as a chronicler of small town Alabama is such that she captures its contradictions and complexities in the ways that they might appear to the inhabitants of those towns both in terms of their obsessions and their blindness, in terms of what is spoken, and what is not. Jean Frantz Blackall, "Valorizing the Commonplace: Harper Lee's Response to Jane Austen,". Boo Radley (Mr. Arthur Radley) The mysterious neighbor who piques the children's interest. Calpurnia taught Zeebo how to read using only the Bible and Blackstone's Commentaries, which is a very difficult book to read. What Is The First Step In Kotters Eight Step Plan For Implementing Change, Which Version Of Internet Explorer Is Compatible With Windows 7. Who is Stephanie Crawford in To Kill a Mockingbird? Actually, Lula is the only black person to express any kind of rage. The church is named the "First Purchase" after it was the first purchase of freed slaves with money they earned. Sundquist sees this as a deliberately anachronistic allusion to the Nazi genocide aimed at drawing the parallel between Germany treatment of the Jews in the 1930s, and America's treatment of African Americans in the 1950s. Who was the first witness in To Kill a Mockingbird? "56 That the Scout of Mockingbird does not encounter Dolphus Raymond, and thus does not learn about biracial children, until after Zeebo has disappeared from the novel and is therefore unable to identify her possible half-brother when she sees him is, by itself, obviously an insufficient piece of evidence for the existence of a Calpurnia-Atticus relationship. He is Calpurnia's eldest son. One of the only black people in the novel who can read and write, she taught Scout how to write. Zeebo, the garbage collector, is the oldest son of Calpurnia, the Finches' maid. Who is Mr. Conner in To Kill a Mockingbird? She resents his new "airs." Click the card to flip 1 / 8 Flashcards Learn Test Match Created by It is, of course, possible that Calpurnia was a Buford, not least because Miss Buford, Maudie Atkinson's aunt, taught Calpurnia to read. As depicted in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird more information Second, as Jew and Scout walked home, they heard sounds behind them. "22 In Mockingbird, all that readers learn about Calpurnia's home life is that she has an unnamed number of sons, the oldest of whom, Zeebo, appears in the novel. Who is General Jackson in To Kill a Mockingbird? In her naivety, Scout does not realize that, like most pubescent boys woken suddenly in the night, Jem has an erection that he is desperately trying to hide. Thus, it might be argued, Mockingbird's Calpurnia was to be replaced rather than simply dismissed. In Mockingbird, we learn very little about Scout's mother. Were Calpurnia a Buford, moreover, there would have been no need to suppress her surname in the text: few readers would remember that Miss Maudie was a Buford, nor would there be much reason to mention it. This was, perhaps, the story Scout had been told by her father and/or Alexandra. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Besides, sister, I don't want you working your head off for us - you've no reason to do that. Although he openly dislikes blacks, he defends Tom's right to a fair trial. In the novel's historical context, then, any assumption of sexual chasteness on Atticus's part requires a belief that in a location approximately twenty-miles from the nearest town, a homeschooled, apparently heterosexual young man living on a plantation with a history of miscegenation, would not engage in the sexual pursuits that other men and boys pursued in similar situations.41 As John Dollard observes in his 1949 sociological classic, Caste and Class in a Southern Town: "Testimony seems to be quite widespread to the fact that many, if not most, southern boys begin their sexual experience with Negro girls, usually around the age of fifteen or sixteen. "71 He thus identifies the constrained agency with which many African and African American women have historically wrestled on the North American continent, even prior to the founding of the nation. This is a taxi, she thought (155). Indeed, Jean Louise unwittingly reveals the consequences of her family's treatment of Calpurnia, and indeed, of other families' treatment of their black servants, when she surveys the scene outside of her former maid's house: The road was half blocked by a line of cars standing aslant halfway in the ditch. Since her father didnt provide for the family, she doesnt have any relatives or friends, and her father is violent. Who dies at the beginning of chapter 8 in To Kill a Mockingbird? The video game was also mentioned in the episode "The Tale of Train Magic". She parked behind the last one and got out. Sexual navety is also evident in Watchman when, because she was kissed by a boy, Scout believes she is pregnant (128). Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the roundtable "The Role of Literature in American Political Thought" at the 2015 American Political Science Association conference in San Francisco, CA; the Political Theory Colloquium at Georgetown University in March 2017; and at the conference, "Blurring Genres Network: Recovering the Humanities for Political Science and Area Studies, "Politics as Literature and Area Studies," at the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, September 6, 2017. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. This is Thesecret1070. Underpinning the assumption of Atticus's sexual chasteness are, however, two further assumptions: first, that prior to his marriage Atticus was a forty-something year-old virgin, and second, that he gave up sex after becoming a widower seven years later. It also demonstrates that the dominant understanding of Calpurnia in Mockingbird is a white fantasy that not only captures the blindness of Lee's white characters to the complexities of white-black relations in the period in which the book was set, but also the ongoing blindness of white readers divorced from their own history. As such, it is possible that there are other moments in the text in which Scout's naivety about sexual matters suggests that there is more to be drawn from her depiction of relationships and events than has hitherto been noted. Who does Tom work for in To Kill a Mockingbird? Dill's absence from Maycomb coincides appropriately with the continued encroachment of the adult world upon Scout's childhood, as Dill has represented the perspective of childhood throughout the novel. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Thus, it might be possible to identify another set of paired duos: Atticus and his wife, and Raymond and his fianc. There is, nevertheless, a sexual undercurrent to Mockingbird that becomes more of an overtone when the novel is read through the prism of its historical context. Writes Sharpless: The proximity of white men to African American women in the households where the women worked created enormous tensions for all of the women concerned, black and white. Dolphus Raymond Father to several biracial children, Mr. Raymond lives on the outskirts of town. The views expressed here, and any and all mistakes, are my own. "I certainly am. Who is Aunt Alexandra in To Kill a Mockingbird? There are further aspects of Mockingbird which suggest a sexual relationship between Atticus and Calpurnia: the bedroom door knocking regimen that Atticus instituted in his home (65), the statement that when Calpurnia stayed over she slept in a cot in the kitchen a cot which, the only time we see it, is empty (156) and the revelation that Atticus was always awake and out of bed long before his children (285). Church for Sunday service. It is all the more seductive because the idea is not without merit. Dollard notes, for example, that the offspring of such couplings, "although they cannot be acknowledged socially, they can be supported and aided to a chief a preferential position within the Negro group," just as, perhaps, Zeebo's literacy in Mockingbird gives him a privileged position in the church.74 These benefits were also psychic and political. She hides her problems from others because she's scared of speaking out as a black woman in the 1930s. In addition, the moment when Calpurnia fondly recalls a conversation with her employer about their respective ages seems, in the context of their more formal relationship, strangely intimate.53 Nevertheless, one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the possibility of this relationship appears most clearly in Watchman, and. Who defends Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird? Dill (Charles Baker Harris) Jem and Scout's neighborhood friend. In response to the observation that Raymond "doesn't look like trash," Jem says, "He's not, he owns all one side of the riverbank down there, and he's from a real old family to boot" (Ibid.). Jessie is the African American nurse for Mrs. Dubose and not only cares for the woman but also cares about her. 2 It was Zeebo, the garbage collector. Scout, Jem, and Dill are both . See answer (1) Best Answer Copy In To Kill a Mockingbird, Zeebo leads the singing at the church. She's a faithful member of this family and you'll simply have to accept things the way they are. "61 He also recalls how a black informant stated that "everybody is protective of information about these relations. He helps Jem and Scout understand Tom's trial and finds seats for them in the "colored balcony.". Calpurnia had a deep understanding of these issues, although she was restricted in terms of what she could do about a lot of these things. Who is the cook in To Kill a Mockingbird? See, Iris Halpern, "Rape, Incest, and Harper Lee's. She comments on how she could not understand something at the time but now can appreciate it. Who is the garbage man in To Kill a Mockingbird? What is Scout's real name in To Kill a Mockingbird? copyright 2003-2023 Homework.Study.com. Zeebo makes two appearances in Mockingbird. "67 As such, a widower with a black maid whom he had known since childhood, who had been in and around his home all his life is obviously a likely candidate for such a relationship; just as, perhaps, a writer who grew up with such a relationship going on directly behind her own home might possibly be expected to incorporate such a theme in a work about racial mores in a Southern community. Thus, Cameron Williams identifies Calpurnia as the "asexual surrogate mother in To Kill a Mockingbird," while Mary Bendel-Simso includes Calpurnia in a list of black female literary figures who "distort the sexuality and allegiance of African American women by portraying them as women without sexual desire or desirability. Where is the courthouse in To Kill a Mockingbird? Moral fibre of Scouts dad Atticus Finch is at its core, and this conflict revolves around it. Du Bois, " the ideal of the culture with which these folk have been born, is not based on the idea of an economically independent working mother What is the inevitable result of the clash of such ideals and such facts in the colored group? When Dill was a child, he felt neglected by both his biological mother and his adoptive father. Explore Jem Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. "25 McBride fails to note, however, that the reality in which she is rooted is, in part, constructed by fiction, most notably "Mammy" from Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. "Black women," writes Darlene Clark Hine, "as a rule, developed and adhered to a cult of secrecy, a culture of dissemblance, to protect the sanctity of inner aspects of their lives Only with secrecy, thus achieving a self-imposed invisibility, could ordinary Black women accrue the psychic space and harness the resources needed to hold their own in the often one-sided and mismatched resistance struggle. To Kill A Mockingbird is a Southern Gothic novel that takes place in the American South in the 1930s. Calpurnia explains that there was no school (for black kids at least) when Zeebo was born. Wiki User. Who was Atticus Finch based on in To Kill a Mockingbird? In December 1934, when the Petition of Writ for Certiorari asking the Supreme Court to consider the case had just been issued, Atticus tells his brother, "I think we'll have a reasonable chance on appeal though" (116, emphasis added); whereas, in late September or October of 1935, following the favorable April decision, he tells Scout that "We've got a good chance" (293, emphasis added).10. Who was the prosecutor in To Kill a Mockingbird? Who is Stephanie Crawford in To Kill a Mockingbird. Except for his own, Atticus defers to Calpurnia for all of his judgments. Who is Simon Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird? The literary benefits of such historical knowledge are further suggested by Eric J. Sundquist's misunderstanding of Jacobs's assertion that Hitler is "washin' all the feeble-minded." Alexandra is of the opinion that the family no longer needs the services of Calpurnia now that she has arrived. "57 Thus Lee, like Austen, captures the world she inhabits in ways that are more than merely celebratory. Mayella Violet Ewell Tom's 19-year-old accuser. Dollard argues that for black domestics involved with white men there may have been an element of revenge against the white women who oversaw their exploitation; likewise, such hostility extended to the white men themselves, with relationships undertaken to expose the hypocrisies of segregation.75Iris Halpern further notes an ideological aspect: "Miscegenation threatened to destabilize and ultimately render illegible what society understood as race. In the First Purchase Church, Lula is the only person who doesnt embrace the Finch children with open arms when Calpurnia brings them there. Who are the mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird? What does Scout find under her bed when she goes to bed one night? By offering repeated suggestions about the possibility of the Atticus and Calpurnia relationship, the texts seem to demand that we pay attention to that which is hidden in both the text and in life by the concern with sexual violence by black men against white women, including the far more pernicious and prevalent sexual violence of white men against black women. Certainly, it is supported by more evidence than the simple assertion made by other critics that Calpurnia is single, married, or widowed. When, for example, Scout's school mate, Cecil Jacobs, gives his in-class presentation on Hitler's treatment of the Jews, readers with a basic grasp of twentieth-century history will be aware that he is alluding to the rise of the Nazi Party in 1930s Germany. Scout recognizes Mr. Cuningham. Finally, in the episode "The Tale of the Night Shift", the teenage janitor is called Zeebo by his supervisor a few times at the beginning of the episode. less obviously, in Mockingbird: the suggestion that Atticus is Zeebo's father. Cite this Quote. Blind to the role that Calpurnia's domestic service may have played in her family's problems, Aunt Alexandra who faintly praises Calpurnia as "the best of the lot" (173) asserts, "That Zeebo of hers, that scamp's still in the trees" (Ibid.). Who is the father in To Kill a Mockingbird? Likewise, the humorously sexual connotations of Mrs. Merriweather's breathless repetition of the missionary J. Grimes Everett's name - "Mrs. Merriweather played her voice like an organ" and her frenzied assertion, "no conception, no conception," appeal over Scout's head to the reader (308). Their parentage remains a mystery, not least because neither Calpurnia nor anybody else ever makes a direct reference to her having a partner. What do these characters say about African But Riesthuis's point about meaningful consent is significant: it raises questions about the apparent passivity of Calpurnia and other black characters, and about the centrality of sexual exploitation, not only to these texts, but also to the activism it spawned in the world beyond it. The history of black women's resistance in slavery and domestic servitude suggests, however, that Calpurnia's apparent lack of depth might be better read as strategy. But don't make a production of it. (Ibid.). It was much easier, not to mention safer, for black women to stop riding the buses than it was to bring their assailants - usually white policemen or bus drivers - to justice. "You've let things go on too long, Atticus, too long." Claudia Durst Johnson describes Raymond as, "a white man who embraces the Other in taking a black wife and fathering her children. Who is Zeebo? Who is John Wesley in To Kill a Mockingbird? Cal was taught by Miss. Alexandra Hancock is the sister of Atticus, the aunt of Jem and Scout Finch, and the grandmother of Francis Finch in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch Jem and Scout's father; the lawyer who defends Tom Robinson. Latest answer posted November 20, 2020 at 10:58:48 AM. Calpurnia taught him the basics herself. "70 While she is concerned to establish the possibility of a loving relationship, she also pays attention to the strategic value of such coupling. ZeeboThe town garbage collector who is also Calpurnia's son. Therefore, one could argue, every act of sex between a master and slave was the equivalent of nonconsensual sex, in other words, rape. Her apparent lack of concern about Jem's awareness of the relationship would, moreover, suggest the inevitability and tacit acceptance of white-men-black-women couplings in small Southern towns. "Lula," writes Phelps, "is what we would now call a black separatist. episode "The Tale of Laughing in the Dark". Throughout the course of the book, Scout comes to a new understanding of human nature, societal expectations, and her own place in the world. . Current Search - Zeebo in To Kill a Mockingbird: 1 Zeebo was Calpurnia's eldest son. Who beat Mayella in To Kill a Mockingbird? ..if you won't give it back then I'll come up and take it!Zeebo threatening to get his nose back by force. Harper Lee's approach gave Calpurnia some dimension. Who is Aunt Alexandra and what is her role in the story? The two objects ascribed to her an old fashioned heavy silver coffee pitcher (306) and a silver dinner bell (62) suggest an existence marked by women's missionary circle coffees, and being waited on by Calpurnia. Until Atticus begs them to stop, the youngsters invent many schemes to get Boo Radley out of his home for a few summer months. When he comes into Maycomb, he pretends to be drunk. You Might Also Like. Who is the main character in To Kill a Mockingbird? [s]omehow it was hotter then . Phelps's use of this term would seem to reintroduce the white racism that she would disavow. As such, the reader might be forgiven for missing it. Zeebo, Calpurnia's oldest son, is the town garbage collector. Mr. Avery A boarder at the house across from Mrs. Dubose's. Notes McElya, the "faithful slave narrative was sunk deep in the framework of postbellum domestic service. Over the course of the novel's three years, Scout grows from six to nine years old. Who is Link Deas in To Kill a Mockingbird? Susan Tucker, "The Black Domestic in the South," 100. Calpurnia owns a house close to the Finches' house, and serves as their housekeeper. Simon Stow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Suggesting that Scout is appropriately nave about sex, the older narrator embraces that ignorance to signal to the reader that there is more going on than Scout realizes. Jem arrives, and they find Dill lurking in the shadows. Who is Mayella in the book To Kill a Mockingbird? Who is the protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird? He attends school only one day a year. It is a relationship that Atticus and a longstanding taboo against their being openly discussed could well have kept "secret," at least by the town's standards on such issues. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, A black woman's body was never hers alone False After the trial, the majority of people in Maycomb no longer like or trust Atticus Finch. Refusing to live in was a concrete denial of the domestic arrangements that had allowed employers to describe these black women as 'like one of the (white) family. To Kill a Mockingbird. Oddly, Scout recalls Atticus's efforts to reconcile Zeebo with Helen, his first wife and probable mother of his son Frank several years before the events of Watchman (157). Who killed Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird? We still need Cal as much as we ever did" (182-183). She grew up at Finch's Landing and moved with Atticus to Maycomb. Racial Relations in the Southern United States. Wiki User 2015-05-07 18:56:08 This answer is: Study guides. White men were expected to have sex with black women, whether black women wanted sex or not."40. Who is Scout Jean Louise find in To Kill a Mockingbird? Watchman nevertheless rumbles with an undercurrent of black political mobilization. Both are concerned with issues of racial injustice, and both incorporate or make reference to a trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman. CalpurniaThe Finchs' African American housekeeper. How old is Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird? One such moment might be Atticus's assertion that Calpurnia is a "faithful member" of the Finch family. Who is Miss Caroline in To Kill a Mockingbird?

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