In her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," why did the Harper Lee choose the word "meditative?"

Twice in
her classic of American literature authorused variations of the word
"meditate," meaning deeply thoughtful or deeply felt, or to be in a state of deep
mindfulness. The first instance, quoted below, occurs in the opening chapter:

'There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into,' murmured
Calpurnia, and she spat meditatively into the yard. We looked at
her in surprise, for Calpurnia rarely commented on the ways of white people."

The second instance of Lee's employing a variation of the word
"meditate" occurs in Chapter Seven, which occurs within the context of Mr. Radley's
having filled the hole in the tree that was used byand by the children as a means of human
interaction that would otherwise not occur:

'Trees
dying. You plug €˜em with cement when theyre sick. You ought to know that, .'

"Jem said nothing more about it until late afternoon. When we passed our tree he
gave it a meditative pat on its cement, and remained deep in
thought. He seemed to be working himself into a bad humor, so I kept my distance."
[Emphasis added in both examples]

Only Lee knows with
absolute certainty why she chose to use this word, not once but twice, in her narrative. What we
can presume, however, based upon our knowledge of thein To Kill a Mockingbird, and the context
in which the word is used in each instance, is that the author chose it precisely because she
wanted to convey the sense to the reader that these , Calpurnia and Jem, are expressing
deeply-felt sentiments. In the first example, Calpurnia, the Finch family's African American
housekeeper, and a sort of surrogate mother for Jem and , utters her contemptuous comment as the
remains of the now-deceased Arthur Radley are transported past the Finch's home -- a curious
comment as the previous discussion of the Radley family gave no indication, save the
irresponsible rumor-mongering that inevitably surrounded the somewhat mysterious and reclusive
family, that Mr. Radley was anything other than a little eccentric and protective of his family.
Lee's use of the "meditatively" in this context suggests that Calpurnia believes the
unfounded rumors and has harbored a deep fear and loathing of a man she probably barely
knew.

The second example of Lee's use of the word "meditate"
occurs, as noted, within a specific context as well. The tree in question held a special meaning
for Jem, Scout and Dill. It was the tree inside of which Boo Radley hid small gifts for the
children, whose fascination with the elusive figure spawned one of their favorite summertime
games. Jem's "meditative pat" of the cement that now filled the hole in which the
gifts were hidden suggests a mournful passing of a special time in his life. The tree symbolized
the innocence of summer and the connection to a human being whose presence, up to now, could
only be felt in a spiritual sense.