Monday, September 15, 2014

How did Calpurnia's church differ from the white people's church? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In Harper Lee's To Kill a
Mockingbird
, Chapter 12, one salient difference between the church of
Calpurnia and the Maycomb Methodist Episcopal Church South is that the black church
allows the children, Scout and Jem, to remain whereas the white churches are strictly
segregated.  Thus, the spirit of charity abounds in the poor, little church that has few
hymn books and no organ or piano. 


On the other hand, the
ladies of the Methodist Episcopal Church who practice charity abroad by
sending missionaries and charity to Africa, help no one at home who is outside their
perimeters.  Clearly, Chapter 12 points to the religious hypocrisy of the white
community.


That the congregation of Calpurnia's church
are poor and oppressed as well is evident when the hymns, which are sung jubilantly, end
"in a melancholy murmur."  


When the preacher gives his
sermon, the children notice that Reverend Sykes "used his pulpit more freely to express
his views on individual lapses from grace."  The Reverend scolds the more recalcitrant
of his congregation, even to the point of defining their sins.  Scout also notes that,
to their amazement, Reverend Sykes chastises the church
members:


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....Reverend Sykes emptied the can onto the table
and raked the coins into his hand.  He straightened up, and said, 'This is not enough,
we must have ten
dollars.'



But, then, he
explains that the money is for the family of Tom Robinson.

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