Calpurnia's attitude is somewhat morally superior. He
language becomes what Lee calls "erratic" but I think what Scout hears is Cal's language
she usually uses with black folk. Cal is comfortable in doling out the appropriate
punishment for Scout when Scout criticizes Walter Cunningham. We hear her comfort with
being morally superior in these words:
“There’s some folks who don’t eat like us,” she
whispered fiercely, “but you ain’t called on to contradict ‘em at the table when they
don’t. That boy’s yo’ comp’ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you
hear?”
“He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a
Cunningham-”
“Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are,
anybody sets foot in this house’s yo‘ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’
on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo‘ folks might be better’n the
Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin‘ ’em—if you can’t
act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the
kitchen!”
Phew! That's quite
a talking to! You can see that the punishment Cal gives is removing bad behavior from
the rest of the group.
Scout of course is humiliated, but
that's what happens when you are rude. This is the greatest instance in which we see
Cal's attitude contributing to others. It punishes Scout, and gives human dignity to
Walter Cunningham.
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