The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

“‘Look here,’ he said, ‘I’ve never used it. You can use it to write down your scientific observations. You’re a regular naturalist in the making.’”

The dynamics between members of the Tate family are defined by the time that they are written in. However, Harry—who is one of Callie’s biggest supporters—openly supports Callie’s pursuit of scientific knowledge by giving her a notebook to write in. Harry openly defies social expectations by helping Callie to pursue her love for science.

“I had heard debates at the dinner table between my grandfather and our minister, Mr. Barker, concerning Mr. Charles Darwin’s book The Origin of Species and the dinosaurs they were unearthing in Colorado and what this meant to the Book of Genesis.”

Charles Darwin and his book The Origin of Species are motifs that function as a catalyst for Callie’s determination to defy social expectations. Darwin’s novel, which strongly contrasts traditional Christian beliefs, encourages Callie to challenge the social expectations that are placed upon her as a young woman in the south.

“One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights dared to come calling in their white chargers and plead with me to let down my hair, I would pelt them with peach pits until they went home.”

Early in the novel, Callie explains that she does not want to devote her life to becoming a wife and mother; she craves knowledge and loves to learn despite the limitations placed on girls and women in this area. Books function to provide Callie with the knowledge that is not conventionally offered to women within this society, and this dynamic becomes more prominent as Granddaddy sneaks Callie controversial novels like A Tale of Two Cities and The Origin of Species.