I believe that if the Finch children had a mother figure present in their lives, things would be different for better and for worse. Their situation would better because, well, they would have a mother! Maybe, that means Scout would be more feminine. That could possibly be a good thing. Also, Aunt Alexandra would not have come to live with them. That could either be good or bad. If I had to choose between having a mother and not having one, I would choose to have one, of course.
But then again, if Scout and Jem had a mother, they wouldn't be as close to Atticus. Scout would be more feminine, which probably means she would not be nearly as close to Jem because he makes fun of her for "acting like a girl" sometimes. Also, Calpurnia wouldn't be working for them, since she was hired to sort of play the role of a mother. If the children had no Negro figures in their lives, I doubt they would have as much respect for them as they do now. Calpurnia teaches them manners, and gives them experiences a white woman would not be able to provide, including going to a Negro church.
I think not having a mother was an interesting twist Harper Lee put on the book. It really makes you think about how different everything would be if they had one. Also, it gives other characters a chance to be in their lives, including Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra. It shows how a girl acts without a mother; not really girly at all. You usually see children without fathers, not mothers, so this book gives us a whole new perspective.
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