Preview

Mrs. Dubose's Judgments In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
377 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mrs. Dubose's Judgments In To Kill A Mockingbird
Mrs. Dubose’s judgmental and bitter nature gives insight to Lee’s theme that the follies of one’s human nature can lead people to only see the worst in them. As Jem and Scout Finch simply walk past the house of Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, she starts persecuting them on their appearance, actions, and the “wrongs” of their father. She automatically expects the worst of them, speculating that they must be up to no good. Mrs. Dubose even insults their father saying, “Your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”(Lee 102). The spiteful behavior of Mrs. Dubose only offends those who encounter her. Her thoughts are unfiltered; letting her harsh judgements be known whenever she pleases. Mrs. Dubose fails to see the damage her

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The late Mrs. Henry Dubose was the definition of a courageous soul, from the way she spoke her mind proudly, being a role model for future generations to her bravery in quitting her addiction. In a world where opinions are hidden, Mrs. Dubose was unlike any other. She shared her opinion, no matter who it harmed or helped, because she wanted to be heard. As Jem and Scout were passing Mrs. Dubose shared her opinion about their lives, exclaiming: “‘what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!’” (Lee 135). Mrs. Dubose was an experienced lady, so her knowledge of young ladies attire was vast, and it took a brave woman to give advice that could be heard as an insult. Because of Mrs. Dubose’s disconcern of social niceties, she was courageously going against a stream of people who disliked her.…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Another character from To Kill A Mockingbird who shows courage is Mrs. Dubose. Mrs. Dubose is a grumpy neighbor of the Finch’s who forces Jem and Scout to read to her after Jem destroys her bushes. Later we find out that Mrs. Dubose was trying to wean off of morphine before she died and was using the kids as a distraction from the pain. In fact, that’s one of the ways Mrs. Dubose shows courage, she knew that the weaning process would be extremely painful and unpleasant and yet she was determined to go through with it and rid herself from the addiction. Another reason that this was courageous is because she knew that in the end she was going to die, she knew that she wasn’t helping herself live longer by breaking her addiction yet, she went…

    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mr Dolphus Raymond Quotes

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages

    People are not always as they seem, is one of the many themes in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the novel Jean Louise Finch (Scout) overhears countless rumors about certain folks in Maycomb County, such as Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is a revolting old lady, Mr. Dolphus Raymond is an evil man, and Arthur Radley (Boo) is the most rebellious individual in Maycomb. However, truly in the end Scout comes to know the people she once feared; and she realizes that they are not as bad as Maycomb citizens make them out to be.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Perspective - TKAM

    • 394 Words
    • 1 Page

    When Mrs. Dubose, the mean old woman who lives down the street from the Finch family yells insults at Jem and Scout on her way to town, Jem reacts by returning and cutting up all the flowers in her front yard. His punishment is to read to Mrs. Dubose for a specified time period every day. He complains to Atticus that she is an awful woman, but Atticus tells Jem and Scout to try to understand Mrs. Dubose's point of view. She is an old woman, very set her in ways, and she is entirely alone in the world. Jem and Scout agree to visit her. After Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus reveals that by reading to her each day, the children were helping her break her morphine addiction. Atticus explains that Mrs. Dubose was fighting to regain sobriety, even as she stood on the brink of death. Because of this, to Atticus, she is the bravest person he has ever known. He explains this to the children to try to make them understand the terrible pain she was experiencing, and how their presence helped her through the process. Although she might have said some…

    • 394 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She stands for everything a traditional Southern woman is supposed to, She wears dresses, and she hosts tea parties, and gossips. She stands by the thought that only old, white families are of value, and that every family had a “streak”. Whether it is a drinking “streak” or an incest “streak”, Aunt Alexandra has something against everybody. She gossips and tries to make believe she is perfect. She despises Scout’s overalls and she tries so hard to force Scout to be the perfect Southern lady that Scout has no desire to become. Mrs. Dubose is another “perfect Southern woman.” She has problems, particularly an addiction to morphine, but she sweeps them all under the rug because in a town like Maycomb, Alabama, filled with these “perfect Southern women”, you can’t show imperfection, because once you do, you’re thrown to the…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dubose’s flowers. Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose lives two houses up the street from the Finch family. There are several rumors about her, including that she keeps a “CSA pistol concealed among her numerous shawls and wraps” (132). Jem and Scout hate her because she is rude to them, and scolds and insults them every time they go by her house. One time, Mrs. Dubose calls Atticus a ‘n-lover’. Jem gets furious and in retaliation, snatches Scout’s baton, running “flailing wildly up the steps into Mrs. Dubose’s front yard. … He [Jem] … cuts the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned, until the ground was littered” (137). When Atticus gets home that evening, he steps one foot in the door and yells to Jem to see if he was responsible for Mrs. Dubose’s yard. When Jem responds that he is, Atticus berates him and says he has to go over to her house and read to her for two hours everyday for a month. Atticus wants to make sure his kids have a consequence for when they do something not scrupulous/unethical, so they will learn from it and not do it again. As Jem reads to Mrs. Dubose, he and Scout witness the old, dying woman’s battle against her morphine addiction and learn the true meaning of courage. “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what”, Atticus tells them (149). Even if Jem did not cut her flowers, Atticus would have still made Jem and Scout go read to her because Atticus vicariously wanted them to see the true meaning of courage from the bravest person he knew before she…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Knowing she was "licked" before she began, Mrs. Dubose resists her yearnings for morphine and dies "beholden to nothing and nobody" (p. 112), winning the epic battle of will power over temptation. Although, the author paints a very ugly portrait of Mrs. Dubose, one sees a silver lining in her strength and self-motivation. It seems that Mrs. Dubose's lesson of bravery was remembered over her cruel and hideous remarks. Similar to Mrs. Dubose's fight with temptation, Scout resists her desire to act with her fists while defending her father's name. Its evident that through her self-restraint Scout takes a step further out of childhood. Scout's lesson is one all learn, that fighting doesn't take you a step further in life, only a step back. Giving into temptation is all to easy, many find it hard to say no, but Scout and Mrs. Dubose find strength in themselves and in others to stand…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In To Kill a Mockingbird and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas the theme of discrimination is emphasized by different aspects of the plot. In To Kill a Mockingbird Ms. Dubose says “Your father’s no better than the n*****s and trash he works for!”. Ms. Dubose says this when Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson, an African American, who is accused of raping a white woman. The aspect of the plot where Atticus defends an African American ,and is looked down upon by other people in the town, shows discrimination because people…

    • 2011 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harper Lee, in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, reveals a theme of judgement by conveying how the discernment of others is a result of ignorance and someone’s failure to place himself into another’s shoes, normally being portrayed through the children. In the first five chapters, the reader is introduced to Scout’s family, school, friends, homelife, and subjects and concepts that are common knowledge to the people of Maycomb. The children of Scout’s class base their perception of Miss Caroline on how she is clueless to the families and their situation. When Walter does not have food for lunch and Miss Caroline asks him, “Did you forget thus morning?”(pg.25) He shamefully replies, “Yeb’m”(pg.25).…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scout Finch Repression

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Living in the pages of a classic novel, there is a girl named Jean Louise Finch, or rather, Scout. She is young and untainted by the world's prejudices, and she possesses a mind full of curiosity. Scout wondered about many things. She wondered why Mrs. Dubose is such a mean old hag, about why Arthur, Boo, Radley never leaves his house, and why must a girl become a lady? The question that Scout pondered most about, however, was what it means to kill a mockingbird. The character Scout and the book To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is greatly influenced by a history of repression and injustice and by a set of ideals that had once dominated most, if not all, of the country at one point or another. Three of the many events and ideas…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This mean old witch is racist, very rude and knows how to make her words sting. Mrs. Dubose’s full name is Henry Lafayette Dubose, a boy’s name, which is more than ironic when she makes fun of Scout for being a tomboy and saying things like, “Don’t say hey to me you ugly girl! You say good afternoon, Mrs. Dubose!” Harper Lee is showing Mrs. Dubose is a hypocrite because one she has a boy’s name and two she is not attractive either so she has no right to call anyone ugly. A lot of people in this community do not agree with Atticus, but one of the few that let it be known is Mrs. Dubose. Every day the kids pass by her house and everyday she has a new comment about their father like, “not only a Finch waiting tables but one in the court house lawing for niggers!” Mrs. Dubose doesn’t have to address the children so harshly but she chooses to do so, Harper Lee is trying so symbolize stereotypical people. Mrs. Dubose might be able to stand up to her morphine addiction; she wouldn’t tell anyone to their face what she thinks about them only if they are smaller and they cannot do anything about it. Mrs. Dubose is a bully.…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mrs Dubose was an elderly bitter woman and like many in Maycomb, was a racist. Author, Harper Lee has used the symbol of camellias to embody the racism and prejudice that lies within Maycomb. Camellias are a white and black flower which displays the divide between the two races at the time. I showed this through my symbol by using the black and white newspaper articles for the flower. This displays how Maycomb see their community as white and black, not as a whole. With a society discriminating against one another, Jem is offending by the remarks made by Mrs Dubose relating to his father and the lawsuit. Influencing her to cut “the top off every camellia bush Mrs Dubose owned” (109) and leaving the ground 'littered with green buds and leaves'…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dubose. In the book Miss. Dubose reveals herself as a nasty old lady,but in reality she showed real signs of courage leading up to her death. When she died Atticus sits down and explains what happened to Miss. Dubose to Scout and Jem. “She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody. I wanted to show you what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hands”( 148). Atticus reveals to both Scout and Jem that Miss. Dubose showed real courage because even though she was addicted to morphine she wanted to live the rest of her life clean. Miss. Dubose wanted to not let the addiction of morphine have a hold on her entire life;this showed Jem and Scout what the true meaning of courage is. In addition, Atticus is a living example of courage not only through his work with the Tom Robinson case,but also his reaction to Bob Ewell’s threats. During the trial Atticus had been encountered by Mr. Ewell and was harassed by him. When Mr. Ewell accosts Atticus in the street and spits on him Atticus simply responds,“ I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco”(217) He again demonstrates to Scout that it is not proper to act in the same manner as Bob Ewell. He does something much more courageous by walking away from Bob’s threats. Though his understanding of which battles to fight and always doing the right thing no matter what it costs…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many people tell their kids, friends, and family that “you never really understand a person until you climb into his shoes and walk around in them.” In most situations people want to start judging other people before they really know what they go through every day, or their perspective of seeing things. In To kill a Mocking Bird Atticus tells Jem and Jean Louise, Scout that they need to stop bothering Boo because they do not know what really happened. Atticus really stresses that it is important not to judge people before you know what they go through. It is not until Scout stands on Boo’s front porch that she finally understands why Boo would rather stay in his house. In The Long Walk Home Miriam Thompson thinks that it is crazy for the “black” people to have to walk everywhere when they could simply ride the bus. After she witnesses and realizes what they have to go through in order to ride the bus she understands that they are trying to boycott the bus system. Norman Thompson gets furious when Miriam starts participating in the car pool. Miriam tries to explain to Norman that they would not want to walk everywhere they had to go, and just because there skin is a different color doesn’t mean they should be treated completely different. Another time in To kill a Mockingbird it would have been beneficial if Jem and scout would have walked in someone else’s shoes is when Mrs.Dubose was rude to them. She did say some very hurtful things, but Jem and Scout would have been much more understanding if they knew the constant struggles she was dealing with. Mrs.Dubose said such harsh things that it caused Jem and Scout to destroy her Marigolds. Knowing what people have to go through in their own lives often gives us a better understanding in the way some people react to certain situations. Walking in someone’s shoes influences us in the way we react to everyday…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the book, Atticus encourages his kids, specifically Scout, to step into other people's shoes and see things from their perspective, saying, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”’ (Lee 39). When Mrs. Dubose, the old lady who lives down the street, yells insults at the kids about their father as they walk by, Jem returns with Scout’s baton and destroys all of her flowers. As a punishment, Jem has to go to Mrs. Dubose’s house every day and read to her. Scout decides she wants to go along too, so everyday after school Jem and Scout go over to Mrs. Dubose’s house so Jem can read Ivanhoe to her.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays