Another character from To Kill A Mockingbird who shows courage is Mrs. Dubose. Mrs. Dubose is a grumpy neighbor of the Finch’s who forces Jem and Scout to read to her after Jem destroys her bushes. Later we find out that Mrs. Dubose was trying to wean off of morphine before she died and was using the kids as a distraction from the pain. In fact, that’s one of the ways Mrs. Dubose shows courage, she knew that the weaning process would be extremely painful and unpleasant and yet she was determined to go through with it and rid herself from the addiction. Another reason that this was courageous is because she knew that in the end she was going to die, she knew that she wasn’t helping herself live longer by breaking her addiction yet, she went…
A true gift is, in one sense, an unexpected blessing bestowed by a person –or even, perhaps, by fate. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee gifts are used as symbols of the people’s character and also help the reader understand the book better as it unfolds.…
The late Mrs. Henry Dubose was the definition of a courageous soul, from the way she spoke her mind proudly, being a role model for future generations to her bravery in quitting her addiction. In a world where opinions are hidden, Mrs. Dubose was unlike any other. She shared her opinion, no matter who it harmed or helped, because she wanted to be heard. As Jem and Scout were passing Mrs. Dubose shared her opinion about their lives, exclaiming: “‘what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!’” (Lee 135). Mrs. Dubose was an experienced lady, so her knowledge of young ladies attire was vast, and it took a brave woman to give advice that could be heard as an insult. Because of Mrs. Dubose’s disconcern of social niceties, she was courageously going against a stream of people who disliked her.…
Mrs. Dubose’s judgmental and bitter nature gives insight to Lee’s theme that the follies of one’s human nature can lead people to only see the worst in them. As Jem and Scout Finch simply walk past the house of Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, she starts persecuting them on their appearance, actions, and the “wrongs” of their father. She automatically expects the worst of them, speculating that they must be up to no good. Mrs. Dubose even insults their father saying, “Your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”(Lee 102). The spiteful behavior of Mrs. Dubose only offends those who encounter her. Her thoughts are unfiltered; letting her harsh judgements be known whenever she pleases. Mrs. Dubose fails to see the damage her…
To Kill a Mockingbird was written to show the Great Depression in the southern United States and what life was like during these times. Maycomb, Alabama is a little town where each person knows who you are, your class, and race. In Maycomb, race was a huge issue. Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused of raping and beating Mayella Ewell, a poor white girl. However, Atticus Finch, a white man, who was representing Tom proved to the court and town Tom did not rape or beat Mayella, but Tom did not win the case due to his race. Mayella was one of the poorest people in Maycomb and part of the lower class. For this reason, I do believe that Mayella is powerful due to her class, race, and gender.…
n Harper Lee, “To Kill a MockingBird”, Mayella is a powerful character. Due to her Class, Gender, Race. In a small town of Maycomb, Alabama, a young white girl named Mayella Ewell who sets the town into a courtroom case of accusing a color man for rape. Harper lee’s, “To kill a MockingBird” will show Mayella power by using class, gender, race.…
When Mrs. Dubose, the mean old woman who lives down the street from the Finch family yells insults at Jem and Scout on her way to town, Jem reacts by returning and cutting up all the flowers in her front yard. His punishment is to read to Mrs. Dubose for a specified time period every day. He complains to Atticus that she is an awful woman, but Atticus tells Jem and Scout to try to understand Mrs. Dubose's point of view. She is an old woman, very set her in ways, and she is entirely alone in the world. Jem and Scout agree to visit her. After Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus reveals that by reading to her each day, the children were helping her break her morphine addiction. Atticus explains that Mrs. Dubose was fighting to regain sobriety, even as she stood on the brink of death. Because of this, to Atticus, she is the bravest person he has ever known. He explains this to the children to try to make them understand the terrible pain she was experiencing, and how their presence helped her through the process. Although she might have said some…
Mrs. Dubose is not as brave as Atticus says. While Jem and Scout are walking into town, Mrs. Dubose says, “Your father’s no better than the n****** and the trash he works for!” Mrs. Dubose says this to hurt the children's feelings. Later Atticus refers to Mrs. Dubose as brave, but I would consider this anything but brave. She is going out of her way to hurt the feelings of defenseless children.…
In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many different characters who symbolize a mockingbird. These characters have been hurt in some way despite their innocence. Some characters have different enemies and some characters have mutual enemies. The novel emphasizes on the way that each character handles their trials.…
Now that Bob Ewell is out the picture Mayella is very lonely. She has no one to talk to because no one likes her now cause she lied on Tom Robinson. Mayella deserves it though because she lied on an innocent man. He got his life taken away because she couldn’t own up to her actions. Now Tom’s Wife is going to be lonely, as well as his kids too, just because of Mayella and Bob Ewell. Everyone in To Kill Mockingbird was lonely it might be a symbol of loneliness spread throughout the book.…
These cause her to have it decide her actions, but she notices it and tries to change it. Jem and Scout learn that Mrs. Dubose has a different perspective from theirs that hurt their feelings. Although they had a tough encounter they still went to the town, but will always be affected by…
In the past years women have been fighting for equal rights, but in the year 1933 it was pushed on to young girls to be a “proper lady” meaning to serve the husband and have a woman’s first interest in the well being of men. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is about childhood and growing up with Scout. The narrator, Scout has been taught like an adult by her father for her whole life and gender was never a problem with Atticus, he taught her and her brother Jem the same way, but as she grows up she is pressured to become a proper lady by her peers. We can gather that gender roles are a major part in Scout’s life by the several symbols of women, such as flowers, that show, the theme of gender roles that Harper Lee weaves into To Kill a Mockingbird.…
The first highly important character in the novel known for her split personality and great moral courage is Mrs Dubose. She was a morphine addict and was addicted to morphine as a painkiller prescribed by her doctor for many years. Despite her being an old, frail lady, who could have just "make (made) things easier" by just continuing to take morphine as Atticus put it, she chose the other, more difficult path. She persevered, through her withdrawal, choosing to "die beholden to nothing and no one", showing her sheer determination. Also, Atticus wanted Jem to read to Mrs Dubose not only as a punishment for his misdeeds, but he also wanted to show Jem what courage could really be. He wanted to show Jem that a courageous person is not "a man with a gun in his hand", and that Mrs Dubose was an excellent example and Atticus looks up to her despite her prejudiced remarks against him such as "nigger-lover". When Jem and Scout were reading to her, they were terrified of her "undulating lips" with "chords of saliva" dripping out of her mouth and that it had a "separate existence of its own". What the children failed to see in the beginning was what lied underneath those shocking array of withdrawal fits - true moral courage. Upon the death of Mrs Dubose, Atticus also mentioned that "she won", not by having a gun in her hands, but with her sheer will power and determination. He hoped that Jem and Scout would be able to respect what a courageous old lady she was. Harper Lee also did not choose a principled character such as Miss Maudie in the portrayal of such courage, but instead used Mrs Dubose to portray courage instead. This made Mrs. Dubose…
Flowers have all sorts of meanings. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are several different flowers that different people grow. These flowers have meanings that describe their character. Miss Maudie Atkinson has her azaleas. Mayella Ewell grows geraniums, and camellias represent Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose.…
Dubose, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. He becomes kinder, more sympathetic, and more understanding. However, his transformation from a childish young boy to a wise teen also comes with a loss of innocence. He knows the reality of systematic racism now and no longer sees Maycomb through rose-colored glasses. In this way, Jem could be considered one of the “mockingbirds” of the book: Taking away his innocence and surrounding a naïve young child with such negativity (primarily the injustice of Tom Robinson’s case) is like shooting a mockingbird that does not do anything but sing. Through Jem and Tom Robinson, Harper Lee shows the reader how institutional racism harms everyone who is a part of the system. Jem’s development highlights the reality of growing up, especially in the 1930s: it can be positive but much of it can also be…