IndexMrs. Dubose's personality as perceived by other charactersMrs. Dubose's true personalityConclusionAn Old Lady's Perspective: Analysis of Mrs. Dubose in To Kill A Mockingbird In 1960 , Harper Lee, an American writer, wrote a novel that won the hearts and minds of millions of readers around the world. To Kill a Mockingbird is a unique book in its complexity, and Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is among the most interesting characters despite having a rather minor role. Lee's book can be seen as an onion with multiple layers and in each part as events progress, readers peel back the peel 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The description given by Lee shows her as a soul-sucking older woman, which becomes clear from the moment the audience first sees her and her actions. However, as the novel progresses, readers begin to peel back its layers and learn that, although she may have a fiery demeanor, Mrs. Dubose is struggling and suffering in her determination to be beholden to no one. The author shifts readers' perspective on Mrs. Dubose from a heartless, elderly, and repulsive racist to a determined fighter, and makes her character one of the most memorable in the book. Mrs. Dubose's personality as perceived by the 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 with Mrs. Dubose. Sometimes, she is depicted as a fire-breathing dragon who strictly upholds ancient traditions that whites are superior to blacks. He is not afraid to express his opinions to Jem and Scout, the protagonists. Because of this fact, these children learned to fear and despise her, as expressed in Scout's words: “Jem and I hated her. If she had been on the porch as we passed, we would have been rounded up by her angry gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogations…” (Lee, 2018, p. 132). It is important to note that the children's disgust for Mrs. Dubose is caused by the way she not only hurls insults at them but also by her constant disapproving gaze. At the same time, as much as Jem and Scout hate her, they know they must respect their elders and so do not retaliate, choosing instead to ignore her. The children were taught from a young age not to act against Mrs. Dubose, especially Scout, who was known to act impulsively. In particular, Jem advises her to be a bigger person and ignore the snide comments Mrs. Dubose throws at them. Despite his own advice, however, Jem is the one who snaps and loses control over his behavior when Mrs. Dubose makes a derogatory comment about his mother. He flies into a rage and rushes into Mrs. Dubose's beloved garden, cutting off the flower tops with Scout's broken stick. He does this because even though he was young when his mother died, he still has memories of her and cannot bear the hurricane of emotions that well up in him when Mrs. Dubose talks about her. As Mrs. Dubose states, there was no woman more lovely than Jem and Scout's mother, and it is a shame that Atticus, their father, let them run wild. This can be interpreted as her saying that the children's mother would never approve of the way they behave now, which is a hurtful and deeply insensitive remark. Mrs. Dubose is not fair because both Jem and Scout are good children. It's interestingnote that the punishment Jem receives for his actions not only helps Mrs. Dubose fight her demons, but also helps the audience understand her better. Mrs. Dubose's True Personality Under the conditions in which Jem reads to Mrs. Dubose six times out of seven days of the week for two hours, the audience gets a glimpse into his real life for the first time. She is having suspicious attacks, 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 have to depend on anything to function on a daily basis. Atticus tells his children, “He said he wouldn't leave this world in debt to anyone” (Lee, 2018). For this reason, Mrs. Dubose's character traits are as follows: 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, which made her feel profoundly lonely. At the same time, she knew that death was getting closer and closer with every attack she had, which was why she couldn't be happy and positive. Although Jem is the one who has to spend time at Mrs. Dubose's house due to his punishment, Scout is also there to make sure her brother isn't 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 how the children did not know about her long-term morphine addiction, which reflects their innocence and purity. They were too young to understand what morphine is and how it affects people. Of course, because he is young, Jem does not make this connection. Instead, he thinks the flower is “intruding on him from the grave” (Lee, 2018). However, Scout listens to Atticus when Mrs. Dubose dies, and this 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 real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're defeated before you start, but you start anyway and make it no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do" (Lee, 2018). This realization profoundly influences Scout's understanding of people. In the example of Mrs. Dubose, she understands that true courage is not achieved by acting tough but by pursuing a course to better themselves or society, never backing down even if the most difficult obstacles stand in the way. Therefore, the audience learns more about Mrs. Dubose as the novel progresses from her being a mischievous old lady next door to. reveal that she is actually a courageous woman who is fighting her addictions even though she was only present during one chapter explains why readers have mixed feelings about her Dubose from To Kill a Mockingbird through Scout's eyes, the audience learns about the secret double life she was living. They learn that she was rude to the townspeople due to her loneliness and addiction, and everyone eventually realizes that one of this woman's main character traits is courage. Although she may have seemed tough, she had a kind heart, which is evident in the way she sent Jem a gift of gratitude, even if he didn't see it that way. Even the public and itscouts learn an important lesson thanks to Mrs. Dubose, understanding what true courage is. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird paints a picture of ancient traditions clashing with Jem and Scout's innocence and cheekiness. She carefully describes Mrs. Dubose's struggle, and as the audience continues reading, she peels back layer after layer of her personality, coming to an understanding of who she is and why she is the way she is, leaving them with ambivalent feelings about her as a person. An Old Lady's Perspective: Analysis of Mrs. Dubose in To Kill a Mockingbird Life is simply a perspective. Some say you have your whole life to do something, while others say life is short and you should enjoy it. We will all grow old one day, but before that: we must do our best to give, love and learn! To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a significant novel that shows characters with different personalities who express the theme of courage. Henry Lafayette Dubose's character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a mean, courageous, and repulsive old woman. To begin with, it is accepted among the children of Maycomb that Mrs. Dubose is a mean old lady... "Mrs. Dubose lived two doors down from us; opinion in the neighborhood was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old lady. bad that ever lived” (Lee 46). He regularly insults and harasses Jem and Scout as they pass his house: he always calls their father (Atticus Finch) bad names. Not only is she mean, she doesn't even like anything; for example, when Scout says hi to her, Mrs. Dubose replies, ""Don't say hi to me, you ugly girl! Say good afternoon, Mrs. Dubose!” He heartlessly calls Scout an ugly girl for saying hello to her without thinking further about how a girl like Scout would feel. Nonetheless she is a mean old lady and traditionalist, Scout loves to wear overalls, but when Mrs. Dubose sees her in overalls she starts insulting her for not dressing like a girl: ""What are you doing in that overalls? You should wear a dress and a tank top, young lady! You'll grow up waiting tables if someone doesn't change your ways---a Finch waiting tables at the OK Cafe--hah!”. Mrs. Dubose is interfering in Scout's affairs: she is making a young girl uncomfortable by her appearance and the way she dresses; furthermore, he is traditionalist and thinks that a girl should not wear tracksuits. Mrs. Dubose is an old lady; no one can blame her for being traditionalist as some people could take advantage of her. Furthermore, courage is particularly revealed in Mrs. Dubose's novel. Although she is known as a mean and repugnant woman, Mrs. Dubose proves to be courageous. Due to his terminal illness, he is dependent on morphine. “He said he would leave this world indebted to nothing or anyone” (Lee 148). The process of eliminating the drug from Ms. Dubose's system is extremely challenging; he is not only fighting against his body, but also against his mind. Furthermore, as Atticus tells Jem, Mrs. Dubose is in great pain: “Most of the time you were reading to her, I doubt she heard a word you said. His whole mind and body were focused on that alarm clock." The fact that Mrs. Dubose realizes that the road she is on is restless and painful; she tries hard to clean herself. She remains determined and courageous continuously until her death: challenging her body and mind to end her addiction to morphine. However, at the end of chapter 11, Atticus explains to Jem how Mrs. Dubose is brave even though she seems hateful. Show Jem how she takes that position herself. ““I wanted you to see something of her, I wanted you to see what the truth is.