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How Does Atticus Change In To Kill A Mockingbird

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“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (Lee 374). Scout, the main character of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, realizes that her father, Atticus, was right and that Boo Radley, a neighbor she had only heard rumors about, is different in real life than she thought he was. Many times, people see things differently than they actually are. For example, sometimes people misjudge others abilities because of their appearance. With Atticus’s unexpected acts of braveness, Boo Radley’s surprising changes in character, and Mrs. Dubose’s true intentions for her actions, Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird shows that things are not always as they seem as the theme …show more content…

Dubose’s unseen patience in fighting morphine addiction and her astonishing strength in extending time between doses of morphine, Lee uses Mrs. Dubose’s true intentions to show things are not always as they seem as the theme of the novel. “‘Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,’ said Atticus. ‘She took it as a pain-killer for years’” (Lee 147). Atticus explains to his children that Mrs. Dubose used to yell at them because she was fighting morphine addiction and needed some way to get her anger out. Mrs. Dubose’s unseen patience displays her true intentions to prove that appearances are not always as they seem. “It suddenly came to me that each day we had been staying a little longer at Mrs. Dubose’s, that the alarm clock went off a few minutes later every day, and that she was well into one of her fits by the time it sounded” (Lee 145). After Jem cuts down Mrs. Dubose’s camellia’s for calling Atticus bad names, Mrs. Dubose punishes Jem by having him come and read to her every day for two hours. However, Jem and Scout soon find out that Mrs. Dubose actually extends their time at her house everyday by a couple minutes. While it seems like a harsh punishment, Mrs. Dubose’s true intention of extending the time each day was so that she could fight her addiction a little longer. Mrs. Dubose’s surprising self-control in lengthening the time between her morphine doses shows her true intentions of what she does to prove that things are not always as they seem. Her hidden fortitude in fighting morphine addiction and her astounding self-restraint in increasing the time between her doses of morphine help show Mrs. Dubose’s true intentions as part of the theme of the novel that sometimes appearances are

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Change Atticus’ parenting style in the book is trustworthy and distant. Atticus is the father of Jem and Scout. He is also a lawyer. During the day the children are left to walk around town, and travel to school by themselves. This style contains some consequences in the future.

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The theme of an ever present coexistence of positive and negative in all aspects can be seen when Mrs. Dubose knows that she will die, but she chooses to fight herself through her inner conflict and emerges victorious. Her story teaches the children that through every negative situation, a balance of positivity is possible through their personal resolve. In Atticus’ words, “‘She was the bravest person I ever

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People don’t realize or understand the truth about someone until they actually get view the true meaning of that someone’s life and what they have to deal with every day. In Harper Lee’s story (TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD) Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus states that, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” But as the kids age they start to realize that life is not as fair and understanding as it used to be.

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913 Words | 4 Pages

Dubose is the third most obvious character who is strongly misunderstood in the novel. To the kids, she is perceived as a rude old lady who is very racist and does not approve of Atticus’ work for Tom Robinson. They don’t know about her addiction or about any of her health issues and are too quick to judge. Atticus says to Jem, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin

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920 Words | 4 Pages

Many philosophers say; “The most challenging part of growing up is letting go of what is comfortable, and moving on to something unknown.” This quote strongly applies to the maturity process of Jeremy “Jem” Finch, a lead character in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem struggles to understand his role in society as the picturesque facade of his sleepy southern town is destroyed, revealing the darkness underneath the surface. In this coming-of-age story amidst of a race war, Jem navigates the hardships of maturity. He is aided by the guidance of his father, who plays an integral role in the conflict of the small town as the court-appointed lawyer of an African-American man falsely accused of assaulting a white

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795 Words | 4 Pages

When Mildred became depressed, she took pill after pill, perhaps trying to commit suicide.  When she isn’t overdosing on pills, she is always listening to her seashells, watching the family or driving one-hundred miles per hour down a road.   Once in awhile, she may invite some other ladies to come over and watch the family with her, but that is about it.  

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1104 Words | 5 Pages

“You just hold your head high and keep those fists down.”- Atticus from TKMB. The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, features a small family living in the town of Maycomb. It's narrated by a young maturing girl named Scout. Growing up in the time of the Great Depression, Scout and her older brother Jem are faced with many obstacles due to Maycomb’s prejudice and unfair racial beliefs.

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The best teacher is always experience. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem, one of the main characters, undergoes many significant personality changes. Jem’s character changes through several experiences, the most prevalent of those being when Jem turns twelve, when he destroys Mrs.Dubose’s flower bed, and when he learns of the town’s racial bias. Jem’s personality underwent significant changes when he turned twelve years old. His new behavior was noticed by Scout, who described him as,”...

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Throughout the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, the readers can see how Scout changes her view about Boo Radley. Because of their nosiness, Jem, Scout, and Dill try to drag Boo out his house and to the outside world. Their innocent actions combined with Boo’s actions changed the image of Boo, in their minds, from “a malevolent phantom” (10), a person who kills cats and eats squirrels to a neighbor they can trust, who saves them from Bob Ewell. Scout says at the end, “Boo was our neighbor” (373). The readers can see a great change in their relationship.

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837 Words | 4 Pages

Mildred tries ending her life due to loneliness. For example, Mildred overdoses on sleeping pills and has to be revived by emergency medical technicians. This incident shows that Mildred is using drugs as a way to escape from her problems rather than facing them head on. However, Mildred's addiction to drugs is not just a personal problem, it is a symptom of a larger problem

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519 Words | 3 Pages

Intro: The historical fiction book “To Kill a mockingbird” is a story of a lawyer, Atticus, and his two children growing up in the south in the 1930s. In this, Atticus takes a case wherein he has to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. This man is not guilty, but because of the town’s unfounded prejudice and racism, he is sentenced as guilty anyway and ends up dying. In this book, the theme of courage is shown in many ways, using the diction that Harper Lee uses to describe Atticus, the symbolism of Tim Johnson, and the details of Mrs. Dubose’s situation.

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456 Words | 2 Pages

The perception of Atticus changes. The kids originally think Atticus is to old to do much. They say that because when Jem wants to play football Atticus will say no I’m to old. When Jem wanted to play tackle football he would say he was to old for that also. Atticus was fifty years old so he can’t do much.

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832 Words | 4 Pages

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most important works in American literature. Its appeal, readability, and smooth-flowing narrative contribute to its success. The plots contrast the universal themes – “humor versus tragedy; innocence versus guilt; good versus evil; ignorance versus truth” (“Timeless”). This style unique to Harper Lee comes from the experiences that have defined her life.

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621 Words | 3 Pages

Mrs. Dubose could have “spent the rest of her life and die without so much agony, but she was too contrary”. She did not want pay or stay behold to anything on this world. Mrs. Dubose had the goal to “break herself of it before she died and that’s what she did. Therefore, Mrs. Dubose suffered a lot, but left like a bird flying for the first time, happily. Not to mention she was caring, brave, and courageous with what she was going through.

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1578 Words | 7 Pages

What is the importance of the character of Mrs Dubose in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’? In To Kill A Mockingbird, Mrs Dubose is shown to have the same narrow mindset as the majority of the town. This can be seen when Mrs Dubose is on her porch and ranting to Jem and Scout about how from the towns perspective, Atticus is seen negatively. “‘Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for’”

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