What Is Mrs. Dubose's Purpose In To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters Jem and Scout are were walking to town when they walk by Mrs. Dubose's house. Mrs. Dubose says some very hurtful things towards them, which prompts Jem to cut out her flowers. This situation is misleading because it shows that Mrs Dubose was a bad person, but in actuality she was a thoughtful lady.

However, he is still willing to do so out of his love. Moral education wise, Atticus passes on knowledge of many critical and beneficial ideals to Scout. For example, Atticus makes Scout and Jem read to Ms. Dubose as "punishment" for Jem smashing her flowers. During this period, the children learn a lot about Mrs. Dubose's situation, as well as her underlying character/persona; they realize she is a compassionate, brave, and tenacious woman. (In the end she give Jem the single White Camellia as token of her gratitude.) Afterwards, Atticus tells them "I wanted you to see something about her - I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that it’s a man with a gun in his hand." (Chapter 11, Page 112) Here, and throughout the whole experience he put them through, Atticus is teaching his children about the ideal of courage; it is not simply the use of violence, rather, it is the determination and persistence to succeed even against seemingly insurmountable odds. This is how Atticus shows his love for Scout by educating her in a variety of fields. (And through various methods)

Jem learns from visiting Mrs. Dubose that not everything is how it seems at first glance. He also learns the value of courage and how it will later affect him as he matures into an adult. From what is described, the readers can draw a conclusion that Mrs. Dubose is impolite and bitter towards the children and is not afraid to speak her thoughts about Atticus defending Tom Robinson. As a result, Jem carries out his anger by destroying her flowers. He is later punished by Atticus by having to read to Mrs. Dubose certain days of the week for a period of time and work on her flowers. Through this process Jem is able to control his impulses and show kindness to those around him even if he does necessarily want to. This shows that Jem is becoming more of a young adult rather than a child. He also realizes that Mrs. Dubose is actually a woman of

The theme in this part of the book is there is more to a person than first thought. One of the characters that are misinterpreted was Mrs. Dubose. Jem and Scout saw her as a very old and sour lady who lived around the corner. “She spent most of each day in bed and the rest of it in a wheelchair” (Lee 132). She would often spite crude remarks, as the children would walk past her house.

Mrs. Dubose has integrity in that she looks out for other people. Sometimes she sets her feelings aside to help other people out. She endures vicious, false rumors and doesn't take them out on the kids. Even though she may holler at them as they walk by, it's all in good intent! When Jem ruined her camellias she had mercy on him. She didn't take advantage of the opportunity to make him work hard, and for no good. Instead she had him do something that would help her out at the same time--something that would accomplish a bigger task, the task of breaking her addiction. Atticus obviously knew that she was all talk and that he rumors were false (about her having a gun), or else he wouldn't

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

Mrs. Dubose quitting her addiction proves to the kids they should do what's right. Mrs. Dubose’s was so weak that, while others would’ve taken an easier, painless death, she “meant to break herself [of the drug] before she died...to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody” (Lee 148) out of pride. By Mrs. Dubose deciding to take the hard way of death, she established that just because something might be easier to do, it doesn't make it right. Relating to Jem and Scout by revealing to them that they shouldn’t become like the other people on town and start to think negatively about the trial just because it's easier to hate instead of defend. Mrs. Dubose had such a strong courage that it made Atticus “want [Jem and Scout] to see what real

Over the course of the novel, Atticus shows continuous moments of courage that greatly impact the people around him. One instance is the situation with Mrs. Dubose. Both Jem and Scout hate Mrs. Dubose because everytime they walk by her house she taunts them and insults them and Atticus; however, whenever Atticus walks by he, “would sweep off his hat, wave gallantly to her and say, ‘Good evening, Mrs. Dubose! You look like a picture this evening’” (Lee 133).

Atticus makes Jem think about how he would feel if he was in Mrs. Dubose place, and what he would do. Mrs. Dubose really did no damage and because of her illness, Atticus makes it clear to Jem that she represents bravery, and that she was tougher than anyone he knew. Day after day, as Jem kept reading to Mrs. Dubose, he felt empathy towards her and matured as a person.

In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mrs Dubose is introduced to the reader though Jem and Scout. The Finch family is being harassed daily by the town of Maycomb because of the trial. Many people talk bad about the Finch family behind the families back but Mrs. Dubose is not afraid to speak her mind. Telling Jem and Scout how she feels about Atticus. Mrs. Dubose is an opinionated, brave, but a cruel neighbor who helps Jem see the importance of responsibility and courage.

Atticus used Dr. Victor Frankl’s theory on different characters in the novel by being very humble and calm with the public. Atticus talks to people with respect even if they are unmannerly or rude to him. One person that is impolite is Mrs.Dubose, she is old and is suffering from some sort of sickness. When Atticus passes her house on his way home, usually she’s not a very nice person but still talks to her and tells his children to be polite as well. When it comes to Jem and Scout he doesn’t really punish them, he has a couple times in To Kill A

Along those lines, Lee introduces Mrs. Dubose as a mean, aggravated old lady. Mrs. Dubose always sits on her porch saying cruel things to Jem and Scout as they pass by the home. Although Jem and Scout tell their father what happened, Atticus is still determined to show his care for the community by trying to paint a more positive picture for the kids by stating, Good evening Mrs.Dubose! You look like a picture this evening” (Lee 115). Showing this type of behavior in front of Jem and Scout still proves people can be kind in a cruel world by having a simple conversation with someone, even if they may not respond the way others would like.

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,

Jem and Scout make a judgement about Mrs. Dubose that she was a terrible lady without knowing anything about her. They hated her because she was rude and yelled at them, even though she wanted to change her ways before she died. They later realized that she was a lady trying to do her best and try to make up for her past mistakes in her life.

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,