Monday, June 10, 2019

Why does Scout describe the cemetery outside of Cal's church as a happy cemetery?

Scout calls the black cemetery by Calpurnia's church "happy" because it is filled with bright objects. The graveyard shows that the living engage with the dead in meaningful ways. We learn that the newer graves are outlined with broken coke bottles and pieces of brightly colored glass. Some graves are equipped with lightning rods because the dead below rest "uneasily." At the heads of the graves occupied by infants, the stumps of burnt out candles stand. People think about the dead and what their needs might be.
Scout tries to convey to readers that her experience at Calpurnia's First Purchase A.M.E. church is, on the whole, very positive. She witnesses a warm community that, though very poor, pulls together to help and support its members, such as the beleaguered Robinson family.


In Chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird, while Atticus is away with the state legislature, Scout and Jem attend church with Calpurnia. After ensuring that the children are properly bathed and that Scout's dress is sufficiently starched, Calpurnia takes them to First Purchase African M.E. Church. An old building with peeling paint, it is the only church with a bell and steeple. There is a cemetery near the church, which Scout describes as a "happy cemetery." She applies this description because she notices that some of the graves are decorated with "brightly colored glass and broken Coca-Cola bottles." Some of the graves have lightning rods, and the graves of babies have candle stumps that have burned out. While "happy" is not a word typically used to describe a cemetery, Scout sees the colorful and unique ways that Maycomb County's African American citizens celebrate their dead.

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