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Role of mrs dubose in to kill a mockingbird
Role of mrs dubose in to kill a mockingbird
What is the mrs dubose episode in to kill a mockingbird
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Mrs. Dubose had a long standing addiction to morphine, an incredibly strong pain killer, but has she found out she was dying she decided to defeat that addiction. Atticus explains to Jem that she could have died with
The reading helps keep the morphine off her mind. She was dying you need to be a strong and brave person to be able to sit there and watch someone go through addiction withdrawal everyday. As Harper Lee says in the book “She was horrible. Her face was the color of a dirty pillowcase, and the corners of her mouth glistened with wet, which inched like a glacier down the deep grooves enclosing her chin ”(Lee 142). This shows how bad Mrs. Dubose was doing when Jem had to read to her.
Aunt Alexandra is a conservative woman who is conscious of propriety and class. So she wanted Jem and Scout to live in a certain way especially Scout, She was worried Scout was too much of a tomboy. Aunt Alexandra was also concerned that Atticus was too careless in his parenting. He allowed his kids to do whatever they wanted. She was also concerned that Calpurnia had too much say and authority over the lives of the children with the absence of their mother.
In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and her brother live with their dad Atticus. They have a servant Scout doesn’t get along with too well, Calpurnia, “Our battles were epic and one-sided,”(6) showing what Scout thinks about their relationship. They live in the town of Maycomb Alabama. The family goes through a lot of harassment because of a choice Atticus has made to defend an African American man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping young Mayella Ewell. Mrs. Dubose was one of the ones responsible for the harassment by calling Atticus many names and using racial slurs to do so, “neighborhood opinion was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived,” (35) further elaborating Mrs. Dubose’s
In the beginning of the novel mrs. dubose is written off as a mean, and bitter old woman. On page 133 scout describes her a vicious and disrespectful. Scout also says “ we could do nothing to please her. If i said as sunnily as i could “hey , Mrs.
I think that was her way of telling you – everything’s alright now, Jem, everything’s alright now. You know, she was a great lady." (148) Even if Mrs. Dubose did not always show her affection and care towards them, she still did truly like them. This quote shows how she cared for Jem and his feelings and wanted to reassure him that it is okay
Towards the beginning of the novel, we as the reader get introduced to Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose. Who, from Scout’s perspective was a very mean old woman that lived on their street. Scout also described her as “plain hell”.(Pg 6) After Jem upsets Mrs. Dubose by ruining her Camellia bush, his consequence is he has to read to her six days a week, for one month, for two hours each day, and he has to work on fixing her bushes that he destroyed. When he finds out his punishment, Jem is distressed and doesn’t want to go over with Mrs. Dubose because according to himself, she is a mean, stubborn, old women who criticizes everyone in Macomb.
Atticus explains that she is very sick and that he wouldn’t have to keep reading much longer. Mrs. Dubose died not much later. Atticus then reveals that she,”... Was a morphine addict… [but] she meant to break herself out of it before she died, and that’s what she did” (Lee 127).
Atticus says, “ she said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody. Jem, when you’re sick as she was, it’s all right to take anything to make it easier, but it wasn’t all right for her. She said she meant to break herself of it before she died,and that’s what she did”(Lee 149). When Mrs. Dubose was able to listen to Jem read for two hours without craving her drugs, it was clear that she had stopped her morphine addiction. As a drug addict, she is most definitely mean and harsh, but the children only observe this without getting to understand why she’s like this.
Dubose shows courage by fighting her morphine addiction before her death. She knew that she did not have much longer to live and had beheld nothing but she still wanted to win one last battle. Mrs. Dubose had fits of rage about Atticus defending a black man, this causes Jem to rage and destroy her property. Atticus eventually found out and punished Jem and Scout by reading to her after school every day.
To begin with, setting builds the steps in life, like every time Jem and Scout leave their house, it is a closer step to maturity. For instance, when Jem was forced to read a book to Mrs. Dubose, he had to go over to her home, “The following week found us back at Mrs. Dubose's,” (Lee 109). The reason Jem had to read to Mrs. Dubose was because he was angry at her for saying rude things to atticus, like “nigger lover”. The childish act turned into a good cause because there for every reaction there is an action. This act soon turned Jem into a sensible boy when he learns that sometimes you have to change the bad into good.
However, in the movie the character of Ms. Dubose is faintly touched upon. Ms. Dubose is seen one time when she is yelling at Scout for saying, “Hey Ms. Dubose.” She is portrayed as a mean and nasty lady, but in reality she is very kind and caring who just needed a little help from Jem and Scout. The movie did not show the courage Ms. Dubose had to persevere to stop her addiction of the highly addictive medicine morphine before she
Aunt Alexandra is a very stereotypical character. For example scout says “I suggested that one can be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam…”(108). This shows that Aunt Alexandra is a very stereotypical towards Scout because she is not ladylike and Scout realized that. Mrs.Dubose is also a very stereotypical character as well. For instance Mr.Dubose states to Scout “ What are you doing in those overalls?
Dubose is also represented falsely. She is seen as a mean old woman but in reality, is not. The first time we hear about Mrs. Dubose is when the children are walking into town and Jem instructs Scout to walk on the sidewalk opposite Mr. Dubose’s house to avoid beginning a conversation with her. Mrs. Dubose yells profanities and accusations from the warmth of her front porch. She is intolerable to some of her neighbors that pass by on a daily occurrence.
He wants to make sure that whatever happens is fair and right and that she is okay with whatever happens. Secondly, in the novel when Jem Finch ruined Mrs. Dubose’s garden after to said to Jem that Atticus is ‘’’Lawed for niggers and trash’’’ (pg 138). Instead of physically punishing Jem like some parents would of done back in that time period. He chooses something fair to do instead.
