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Essay / Mrs. Dubose, the most complicated character in Kill a Mockingbird
Table of ContentsMrs. Dubose's Personality as Perceived by Other CharactersMrs. Dubose's True PersonalityConclusionAn Old Lady's Point of View: Analysis of Mrs. Dubose in To Kill A MockingbirdIn 1960, Harper Lee, an American novelist, wrote a novel that captured the hearts and minds of millions of readers around the world. To Kill a Mockingbird is a unique book because of its complexity, and Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is one of the most interesting characters despite a rather minor role. Lee's book can be thought of as a multi-layered onion, and with each part where events progress, readers peel back the skin and slowly reveal the hidden core. So who is Mrs. Dubose? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The description provided by Lee shows her as a quaint, soul-sucking woman, which becomes clear from the moment the audience sees him for the first time. and his actions. However, as the novel progresses, readers begin to unravel its layers and learn that although she has a fiery demeanor, Mrs. Dubose struggles and suffers in her determination to be beholden to no one. The author changes the readers' perspective of Mrs. Dubose from a heartless, aging, loathsome racist to a determined fighter, and this makes her character one of the most memorable characters in the book. Personality of Mrs. Dubose as perceived by other characters. saying "sticks and stones can break my bones, words will never hurt me" implies that physical force can hurt a person but insults cannot, this is not the case for Mrs. Dubose . Sometimes she is depicted as a fire-breathing dragon who strictly adheres to the old traditions dictating that white people are superior to black people. She is not afraid to express her opinions to Jem and Scout, the protagonists. As a result, these children began to fear and despise her, as expressed in Scout's words: “Jem and I hated her. If she were on the porch when we passed, we would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to merciless interrogation…” (Lee, 2018, p. 132). It is important to note that the children's disgust with Mrs. Dubose is caused not only by the way she hurls insults at them, but also by her constant look of disapproval. At the same time, even though Jem and Scout hate her, they know how to respect their elders and therefore do not retaliate, choosing instead to ignore her. The children are taught from a young age not to act against Mrs. Dubose, especially Scout, who is known for acting impulsively. Jem notably advises him to be a bigger person and to ignore the sarcastic remarks that Mrs. Dubose throws at them. Despite her own advice, it is Jem who snaps and loses control of her behavior when Mrs. Dubose makes a sarcastic comment about her mother. He goes on a rampage and bursts into Mrs. Dubose's beloved garden, cutting off the tops of the flowers with Scout's broken stick. He does this because even though he was young at the time of their mother's death, he still has memories of her and cannot bear the hurricane of emotions that swells within him when Mrs. Dubose talks about her. As Mrs. Dubose says, there was no woman more charming than Jem and Scout's mother, and it's a shame that Atticus, their father, let them run wild. This can be interpreted as his implication that the children's mother would never approve of the way they behave now, which is a painful and deeply insensitive remark. Mrs. Dubose is not fair because Jem and Scout aregood children. Interestingly, the punishment Jem receives for her actions not only helps Mrs. Dubose fight her demons, but it also helps the audience understand her better. Mrs. Dubose's Real Personality Under the conditions of Jem reading to Mrs. Dubose six times a week, for two hours, the audience gets their first glimpse of her real life. She is having suspicious seizures, and later they lead to the revelation that Mrs. Dubose is a morphine addict who wants to die as a free person who does not need to depend on anything to function daily. Atticus tells his children, “She said she wasn't going to leave this world beholden to anyone” (Lee, 2018). Because of this, Mrs. Dubose's character traits are as rude and intolerant, unable to cope with her own mood swings. Being an old widow and a struggling morphine addict, her attitude worsened as people tended to avoid her, making her feel acutely lonely. At the same time, she knew that death was getting closer with every attack she had, that's why she couldn't be happy and positive. Although Jem is the one who has to spend time at Mrs. Dubose's house because of his punishment, Scout is also there to make sure her brother is not killed by Mrs. Dubose. At the end of their adventures, they both see the situation differently. The audience learns that when Mrs. Dubose dies, she sends Jem a white camellia top, which represents longevity and purity in life, much of what Jem embodies. Based on this action, the audience can conclude that sending this flower was Mrs. Dubose's way of not only thanking him, but also showing that the children were unaware of his long-term addiction to morphine, which reflects their innocence and purity. They were too young to understand what morphine is and how it affects people. Naturally, because he is young, Jem does not make this connection. Instead, he thinks the flower is “meddling with him from the grave” (Lee, 2018). However, Scout listens to Atticus when Mrs. Dubose dies, and it broadens her understanding of not only why she acted the way she did, but also shows her what true courage looks like. “I wanted you to see what true courage is, instead of thinking that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're screwed before you start, but you start anyway and you succeed no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee, 2018). This realization profoundly affects Scout's understanding of people. In Ms. Dubose's example, she understands that true courage is not acquired by acting decisively but by pursuing a path to self-improvement. yourself or society, never backing down even if the most difficult obstacles stand in your way. Thus, the audience learns more about Mrs. Dubose as the novel progresses, moving from being the spiteful old lady next door to the revelation that, in fact, she is a courageous person. fighter who fights against her addictions. She has depth as a character even though she was only present for one chapter. His complex personality explains why readers have mixed feelings about him. ConclusionBy seeing Mrs. Dubose from To Kill a Mockingbird through Scout's eyes, the audience learns about the secret double life she led. They learn that she was rude to the townspeople because of her loneliness and addiction, and in the end everyone realizes that one of this woman's main character traits is courage. Even though she looked tough, she had a goodheart, as evidenced by how she sent Jem a gift of gratitude, even though he didn't see it that way. The audience and Scout also learn a relevant lesson from Mrs. Dubose, understanding what true courage is. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird paints a picture of ancient traditions colliding with the innocence and sassiness of Jem and Scout. He carefully depicts Mrs. Dubose's struggle, and as the audience continues reading, he peels away layer after layer of her personality, coming to understand who she is and why she is the way she is, leaving them with ambivalent feelings toward her. a person.An Old Lady's Perspective: Mrs. Dubose's Analysis in To Kill A MockingbirdLife is just one perspective. Some say you have your whole life to do something, while others will say life is short and you should make the most of it. We will all get old one day, but before that: we must do our best to give, love and learn! To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is an important novel that shows characters with different personalities expressing the theme of courage. The character of Henry Lafayette Dubose from the novel To Kill A Mockingbird is a mean, courageous and repulsive old woman. To begin with, among the children of Maycomb, it is accepted that Mrs. Dubose is a mean old lady... “Mrs. Dubose lived two doors down from us; the opinion of the neighborhood was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old woman that ever lived” (Lee 46). She regularly insults and harasses Jem and Scout when they pass her house: she always calls their father (Atticus Finch) bad names. Not only is she mean, but nothing pleases her; for example, when Scout says hello to her, Mrs. Dubose responds, "Don't say hello to me, you naughty girl!" You say hello, Mrs. Dubose! She heartlessly calls Scout an ugly girl for saying hello to her without thinking more about how a young girl like Scout would feel. Nevertheless, she is a mean and traditionalist old lady, Scout loves to wear overalls, but when Mrs. Dubose sees her in overalls, she starts insulting her for not dressing like a girl: "'What the hell?' what do you look like in these overalls? You should be in a dress and a camisole, young lady! You will grow up waiting at tables if someone doesn't change your habits – a Finch waiting at tables at OK Café – hah! Mrs. Dubose interferes in Scout's affairs: she makes a young girl feel uncomfortable about her appearance and the way she dresses; Additionally, she is a traditionalist and thinks a girl should not be in overalls. Mrs. Dubose is an old lady; no one can blame her for being a traditionalist since some could take advantage of her. Moreover, courage is revealed in particular in Ms. Dubose's novel. Even though she is known as a nasty and loathsome woman, Mrs. Dubose proves that she is courageous. Due to her terminal illness, she is dependent on morphine. “'She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and no one'” (Lee 148). The process of removing the drug from Ms. Dubose's system is extremely difficult; she not only fights against her body, but also against her mind. Furthermore, as Atticus tells Jem, Mrs. Dubose is in extreme pain: "Most of the time you read to her, I doubt she heard a word you said." His whole mind and body were focused on waking up. The fact that Mrs. Dubose realizes that the path she is taking is turbulent and painful; she tries to clean herself up. She remains determined and courageous until her death: challenging her body and mind to end her morphine addiction. However, at the end of chapter 11, Atticus.