To Kill A Mockingbird And Marigolds Comparison

The texts To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier, both share similar themes. The book To Kill a Mockingbird and “Marigolds” takes place during the Great Depression. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a boy named Jem grows up in a small town where people are inaccurately blaming others and jealous. In “Marigolds”, a girl named Isabel grows up poor, desperate for joy. In the texts “Marigolds” and "To Kill a Mockingbird” the author reveals that knowledge can change the way we look at the world and others, through Jem and Isabel. The boy Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird finds that there is a reason for others' actions. One of Jem and Scout's neighbors, named Mrs. Dubose, has bushes in front of her house that she tends to every day. …show more content…

When Jem and Scout pass by her, she is always very rude to them. One day, she says something very impolite about their dad, so Jem destroys her bushes, wondering why she says the things she says. Jem was punished and said to Atticus, “Yes, sir. She wants me to come every afternoon after school and Saturdays and read to her out loud for two hours. Atticus, do I have to?”(Lee 121). Jem acted out on Mrs. Dubose because she was rude. He doesn’t understand why he has to make up for it, considering how disrespectful she is to them every day. After reading to her for a bit and spending a lot of time with her, Mrs. Dubose sadly passed away. Jem received a flower from Mrs. Dubose and flipped. “‘Old hell-devil, old hell-devil!’ he screamed, flinging it down. ‘Why can’t she leave me alone?”(Lee 121). The flower he received was from the bush he destroyed. Jem did not understand why Mrs. Dubose was so rude until he found out that she was sick. He learned that his reading to Mrs. Dubose was helping her with her addiction. And from reading to her, he learned that Mrs. Dubose was a good person. So when he received the flower, he was bothered because he was hurt by her