How important is the Mrs Dubose episode in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Example For Students

How important is the Mrs Dubose episode in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay To Kill A Mockingbird is an important novel as it deals with numerous issues such as; growing up, prejudice, tolerance, understanding of others and courage. This well written story by Harper Lee focuses on a family living in Maycomb County, a microcosm of American Society concerned with only its own problems, in the 1930s. The main plot of this novel concerns a black man being wrongly accused and charged with the rape of a white woman and, due to the racial unfairness that took place at this time, he is convicted. This book is aimed at challenging the racial discrimination that took place at this time in Alabama, South America. Atticus Finch, the father of the Finch family, is the lawyer who defends Tom Robinson, the black man accused of rape. Atticus has one son and one daughter, he is a single parent and is aged fifty at the beginning of the book. Atticus is a man of truth who treats his children with respect. His daughter, Scout, talks about her and her brothers upbringing by stating in the first chapter, He played with us, read to us, and treated us with courteous detachment. This emphasises that although Atticus was a loving father to his children he was also a man of principle and a teacher of lifes morals. Atticus is a very important character in the novel as he embodies the themes of justice, tolerance, goodness and courage. His son, Jem, is nearly ten years old at the beginning of the book and progressively matures throughout the novel. He is rational and intelligent and is a constant companion of Scout, but as Jem matures overtime they slowly drift apart. The first chapter of the story shows the coming of Dill. I feel he plays an important role in the childhood of Jem and Scout and as Jem matures he spends more time with Dill rather then Scout. The daughter of Atticus, Jean-Louise Finch, who is also known as Scout, is almost six at the beginning of the story. The whole book is written from the perspective of this young girl and this gives it a very innocent view. As Scout was young at the time the book was written she had a childish view of the world and contained childish fair play. When Scout was at the trial of Tom Robinson she thought that Tom Robinson was being treated unfairly, but she didnt understand it was because he was black. This shows that Scout had innocent ideas of right and wrong, being a child. Scouts innocence helps show the reader the real truth of life in Maycombe County in the 1930s. Mayella Ewell was the unstable white girl who accused Tom Robinson of rape in the novel. But it later turned out that this was just a cover up to hide the fact that her father, Bob Ewell, had beaten her. Another woman who liked to hide the truth in the novel was a much older woman, named Mrs Dubose. Mrs Dubose was known as the meanest old woman that had ever lived, as said Jem in Chapter four. She was a racist member of Maycomb County. Unlike Miss Maudie Atkinson, a kind neighbour and friend of the Finch family, Mrs Dubose represented everything bad about Southern American society. In chapter eleven, after Jems twelfth birthday, Jem took Scout to town to buy a steam engine for himself and a twirling baton for Scout, with his birthday money. On their way, Mrs Dubose was sitting on her porch; she started shouting to Jem and Scout asking them where they were going. But before they could have time to possibly answer she started accusing them of playing hooky. This shows that Mrs Dubose was not really interested in listening to what Jem and Scout had to say, but would instead rather insult them. Mrs Duboses attempt at accusing them of truanting from school had been a failure as it was the weekend. Jem pointed out this mistake by saying, Aw, its Saturday Mrs Dubose, but this only made the situation worse. She then asked them if Atticus knew where they were going and Jem told her that they had been going to town since they were very young. This infuriated Mrs Dubose as Jem had outsmarted her twice. Mrs Dubose started insulting them both, after realising that she was wrong, and Jem and Scout walked on trying their best to ignore her. Until, Mrs Dubose yelled, not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers. This made Jem stiffen. I think this insult was too much for Jem to tolerate. Children in school had made fun of Atticus before, but no mature adult had shouted such terrible insults at his children. Mrs Dubose continued to do this as they headed of to town. But Jem remained calm. Black Boy By Richard Wright EssayWhen Atticus sent Jem to Mrs Duboses house, after cutting her camellias, Scout thought that he was going to be murdered because Mrs Dubose kept a gun under her clothes. She was very worried of Jem and couldnt understand why Atticus would send him to his death. This part of the chapter shows that although Scout was much younger than Jem she was very protective over him. This is an unusual relationship as it is usually the older child who is more protective of the younger child, but this only emphasises the closeness of their relationship. As days of reading to Mrs Dubose passed Jem matured. He managed to keep his cool when Mrs Dubose insulted him and his family. When she said, dont guess you feel like holding your head up, with your father what he is, Jem raised his head. Although he hated her and she hated him, he would repel her deadly insults like Atticus had taught him to, rather than absorb them. Jem increasingly reflects the personality of Atticus throughout the story. Scout notices this further on in the book when she comments, Jem was becoming almost as good as Atticus at making you feel right when things went wrong. Mrs Duboses opinion of the children was not very high. She thought of them as a disgrace and a letdown to their family. She also thought that after their mother had died Atticus had done a bad job at raising them by himself. But the childrens opinion of Mrs Dubose was no better. They thought of her as a horrid woman who was possessed with evil. However, their opinion of her did change when Atticus brought home news about her the following month. One month after Jem had finished reading to Mrs Dubose, Atticus brought home news that she had passed away. He told Jem that she was not suffering anymore. Atticus told Jem that she had been having fits because she had been trying to beat her morphine addiction before she died. Atticus said, she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody, and she did. Mrs Dubose left Jem a box containing a camellia. I think Mrs Dubose intended the camellia to represent peace between her and Jem. But Jem took at it as an insult instead and became upset. He yelled, Why cant she just leave me alone. Atticus explained to Jem about how courageous Mrs Dubose had been to beat her addiction even though she knew she wouldnt survive. He told Jem, the true meaning of courage is not a man with a gun in his hand, but when you know youre licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through. The children learnt about tolerance and courage in this chapter and Atticus taught them many valuable and worthwhile lessons. The ending of part one is well written. It shows Atticus explaining to Jem the real meaning of courage and why Mrs Dubose behaved like she did. Mrs Dubose was a prejudice old woman who discriminated many citizens of Maycomb County. But the fact is she still had to rely on the Negress who looked after her named Jessie. This shows how fragile Mrs Dubose really was and that she couldnt live without Jessie. But she cannot be blamed for her actions as she was in constant pain trying to beat her morphine addiction. This chapter shows the biggest change in any single chapter of the book. It includes the introducing of Mrs Dubose to the novel, a very important character, and her death in the same chapter. This part of the novel contains many mixed emotions. At the beginning it shows Jem loosing his temper with Mrs Dubose and having to go read to her. But the end of the chapter shows Jem trying to hide his emotions about Mrs Duboses death. Atticus told Jem, Mrs Dubose was the bravest person I ever knew. I believe this is true and I think she had more courage than any other character in this book. With Atticus taking the case of Tom Robinson, and having to persuade a white community that a black man is innocent, Jem and Scout would have to show the same amount of courage as Mrs Dubose did beating her morphine addiction. Chapter eleven is therefore a very important chapter introducing many important ideas and themes, which are at the heart of the novel.