Character Trait
Quote
Explanation
Unlikable
“Jem and I hated her. If she was on the porch when we passed, we would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy prediction on what we would amount to when we grew up, which was always nothing.”
“Cords of saliva would collect on her lips; she would draw them in, then open her mouth again. Her mouth seemed to have a private existence of its own. It worked separate and apart from the rest of her, out and in, like a clam hole at low tide. Occasionally it would say, "Pt," like some viscous substance coming to a boil.”
Although she only sits on her wheelchair and does not do anything physical to the children, Mrs. Dubose’s words alone were able to inspire rage and fear in both Scout and Jem. She likes to find fault in them and accuse them of things that did not happen causing the children to dislike her. Also, her looks alone is able to disgust Scout, which further shows that almost everything she does makes the children hate her making her an unlikable person.
Rude
“…we were told that it was quite a pity that our father had not remarried after our mother’s death. A lovelier lady than our mother never lived, she said, and it was heartbreaking the way Atticus Finch let her children run wild.”
Mrs. Dubose first of all brings up the topic of the children’s dead mom, a topic a taboo to them. As if that was not bad enough, she goes on to insult both Atticus and the children that Atticus did not supervise his children properly. She makes many false accusations and does the care about the feelings of others. She has no respect when talking to others and just hurls insults at them. Hence from this we can tell that Mrs. Dubose was an extremely rude person.
Racist
“Your father’s no better than the niggers and the trash he works for.”
Mrs. Dubose addresses Tom Robinson, a black man, as a nigger,