Jem and Scout are extremely surprised when they discover their father is a talented marksman. Atticus never mentions or uses his talent; he is reluctant to shoot a gun even when it is deemed necessary. The children wonder why Atticus has never told them of his talent; in their minds, marksmanship is an impressive and glorious skill. They discover Atticus' motive for this omission when he mentions he does not want his children to get the "idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand." To Jem and Scout, it is unclear what their father sees as true courage. It is only later, with Mrs. Dubose as an example, that Atticus reveal his viewpoint. Atticus regards Mrs. Dubose as "the bravest person [he] ever knew." She certainly does not fit traditional standards of bravery; Mrs. Dubose is a frail old lady confined to her house. However, she is extremely strong-willed and "contrary." As a struggling morphine addict, Mrs. Dubose should "have spent the rest of her life on [morphine] and died without agony." Instead, she is "determined to leave this world beholden to nothing or nobody." The decision to quit using morphine will cause Mrs. Dubose great suffering; it is also likely to be an unsuccessful effort. Nonetheless, Mrs. Dubose continues with her attempt. This is what makes her "a great lady" in Atticus' eye: she continues with her efforts despite knowing she will probably fail. …show more content…
Dubose, we can understand what Atticus defines as courageous. To have courage is to stand by your beliefs no matter what, even when they will cause great hardship. It is not a man with a gun, rather, it is "know[ing] you're licked before you begin but begin[ning] anyway and see[ing] it through no matter
From her front porch, Jem just sees her as a bitter old lady however, once he gets close up to her he realizes what bad condition she is in and how frail she is. The fact that Jem does not know about Mrs. Dubose’s illness also shows her courage because she is fighting her horrible illness without the support of her community. After Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus reveals that Mrs. Dubose wanted to die free and that she is the bravest person he has ever known. During a conversation between Atticus and Jem, Atticus says “I wanted you to see what real courage is... It’s when you know you’re licked but you begin anyway...
She was the bravest person I knew" (112). He says this to show Scout and Jem that the bravest people are not boastful about their bravery, but instead fighting silent battles all on their own. Mrs. Dubose was fighting a silent battle with her morphine addiction, a battle that she was bound to lose. She was determined to die without relying on pain medication to subdue her final
One day Calpurnia sees a mad dog and calls Atticus and Maycomb’s sheriff. Atticus arrives at the scene of where the mad dog is and he takes the risk of whether saving people or causing the dog to get even madder. He kills the dog with one clean shot and it shows courage because not many people can shoot good after many years of not shooting and under pressure like Atticus did. All in all Atticus showed courage throughout the story many times, and like he said “real courage is fighting for what is right whether you are right or
She meant to break herself of it before she died, and that’s what she did”(111). Although Mrs. Dubose was a cantankerous old lady who disapproved of Atticus defending Tom, she and Mr. Finch had something in common. They both shared similar views when it came to showing courage to overcome a task. Atticus’ lesson applies here as well. “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.
Ms. Dubose is shown to be a significant character that displays the power of inner strength. She is a morphine addict that through Jem’s reading, successfully manages to combat this addiction. For a long time she has faced the world sick and alone, but what makes her a courageous person is her ability to recognize her weakness and even more to do something about it. Even though she knows she is dying soon, she neglects her own
Mrs. Dubose is an old lady who lives two doors up the street from the Finch's house. Atticus' son, Jem destroyed Mrs. Dubose's flowers because she had said disrespectful things about Atticus which brought out Jem's anger. Even though Atticus was very upset, he does not believe violence is the appropriate way to approach any situation considering it does not teach you valuable lessons. Instead, Jem's punishment was to read to Mrs. Dubose every day for the month and in the end taught him the true meaning of courage. Atticus demonstrates that holding your head up and fists down will save you from more complicated situations. Another example would be when disrespectful Bob Ewell spat on Atticus' face because Atticus made Bob look like a fool during his testimony. Atticus stayed calm during the whole situation. He held his head high and walked away during the scene. Following this further, Atticus sets honorable examples for his children. He believes all people have goodness in their hearts no matter how cruel or heartless they act, even if their status was low, they would have generosity and kindness inside. The first impression of Mrs. Dubose was described as a rude lady. She says to Scout, “Don't you say hey to me, you ugly girl! You say good afternoon, Mrs. Dubose!” (Lee 133). However, Mrs. Dubose is really a kind lady who causes no harm once you get the kindness out of her. In addition, Atticus compliments her and treats her as he would treat any
Dubose who struggles to beat her morphine addiction before she died. He wanted to show his son what true courage was, 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 but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.? (Page 112) In addition, Atticus is a perfect role model. He demonstrates a strong sense of bravery by refusing to carry a gun to protect Tom Robinson from angry farmers. ? ?After all, though,? I said, ?he was the deadest shot in the county one time. He could?? ?You know he wouldn?t carry a gun, Scout. He ain?t even got one?? said Jem. ?You know he didn?t even have one down at the jail that night. He told me havin? a gun around?s an invitation to somebody to shoot you.? ? (Page 217) As a result, Jem stood up and refused to leave his father during the showdown with the farmers at the jailhouse.
While many would argue that Mrs. Dubose is the one being more courageous, because she is battling a morphine addiction, it also takes courage to stand there and take the insults. By doing this, Atticus is allowing Mrs. Dubose to win against her addiction. It would be easy for Atticus to shut Mrs. Dubose down when she insults him, but because he
Evidently, an unlikely hero in the book is Mrs. Dubose, who overcame her morphine addiction. At first, Mrs. Dubose is seen as an evil and filled with animosity towards Jem and Scout. Atticus reminds them to see it from Mrs. Dubose point of view before judging her. The fact that Mrs. Dubose knows that she will succumb, she tries to overcome her addiction of morphine. Atticus’ description of a hero is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (112). Consequently, Mrs. Dubose “… died beholden to nothing and nobody” (112).
“According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.” Here we can see Atticus’ admiration for the courage of Mrs. Dubose, who overcame her addiction to morphine painkillers before her death. Her character serves as a reminder that courage comes in many forms. When Atticus describes her as “the bravest person I ever knew” it highlights that even though some acts of courage may appear insignificant, they should still be recognized and appreciated.
Dubose was a brave and courageous woman. Jem and Scout just thought she was an old mean lady. Atticus thought she was the bravest person ever, as he says so in his speech after she dies, “According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.” She had an addiction to Morphine, although, she was very determined to quit before she died.
The audacious actions executed by Mrs. Dubose are used to illustrate how she is a fundamental character when it comes to demonstrating true courage. Throughout the years Mrs. Dubose was alive she was unafraid to speak her mind knowing that others had their own views and opinions they would later express. The readers are made aware of this during the time when Mrs. Dubose was speaking to Scout and Jem saying,
Atticus demonstrates emotional and physical bravery in many ways during the To Kill a Mockingbird. In the beginning of the book, Atticus “defines” bravery and gives an example to his kids. He tells them,“‘She (Mrs. Dubose) was the bravest person I ever knew’” (Lee 149). By providing an example of courage, it shows that Atticus knows what courage is. Atticus remembers Mrs. Dubose as an example of someone who showed courages and then tried to demonstrates courage in his own way. One way he
Mrs. Dubose displays acts of personal courage in her honesty and strength. When Jem and Scout walk past her house to go meet Atticus on his way home,
Dubose starts yelling at the children from her porch rocking chair. Mrs. Dubose tells Scout how ugly she is and how bad of a parent Atticus is. Atticus comes to walk the children home and says to her, “ ‘Good evening, Mrs. Dubose! You look like a picture this evening’ “ (Lee 133). Atticus is able to control his thoughts and actions by remaining cool. His quiet dignity and even-keeled manner manifests in his genuine humility. Though Mrs. Dubose never says anything remotely kind to him or the children, he always smiles and responds with utmost politeness.