Mr Dubose's Suffering Analysis

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mrs. Dubose’s suffering helps Jem and Scout learn about perseverance, virtuous characteristics and how much she really desires to do the right thing. Without realizing it, Mrs. Dubose shows Jem and Scout how to do what they know will be hard, combat fear with courage, and standing up for the right thing. She teaches them by her actions not by words without ever leaving her own bed. TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE
Even though Mrs. Dubose knows how much pain coming off morphine will include, she continues to fight through the agony and suffering. During Jem’s reading session, Mrs. Dubose falls into a state with “cords of saliva” collecting on her lips while her head rocked slowly “from side to side” (123). Her pain consumed so much of her that she could not even respond to simple questions like “Mrs. Dubose, are you alright?” (123). She knew this would happen to her, but chose to conquer the pain a little more each day. She knows Jem and Scout will think “she’s so nasty,” but she wants to come off the morphine because she wants to live freely so much that she will endure the suffering (123). Jem and Scout learn from Mrs. Dubose’s how to persevere through suffering and tough times which would eventually help them get through Tom’s trial.
Mrs. Dubose’s

Dubose’s dedication to ending her morphine addiction proves how her stubborn attitude helps her achieve the right thing even if she is doing it for no one but herself. After Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus tells Jem and Scout “she died beholden to nothing and nobody” because he wants them to understand that she went above everyone else’s expectation of her by breaking her addiction (128). No one and nothing would reward her for breaking it, but she did it anyway. Mrs. Dubose knows that her addiction “wasn’t all right” (127). Jem and Scout learn from Mrs. Dubose that although she may seem like a grumpy old lady, but in reality they see she show a strong dedication towards the high