“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (Lee 374). Scout, the main character of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, realizes that her father, Atticus, was right and that Boo Radley, a neighbor she had only heard rumors about, is different in real life than she thought he was. Many times, people see things differently than they actually are. For example, sometimes people misjudge others abilities because of their appearance. With Atticus’s unexpected acts of braveness, Boo Radley’s surprising changes in character, and Mrs. Dubose’s true intentions for her actions, Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird shows that things are not always as they seem as the theme …show more content…
Dubose’s unseen patience in fighting morphine addiction and her astonishing strength in extending time between doses of morphine, Lee uses Mrs. Dubose’s true intentions to show things are not always as they seem as the theme of the novel. “‘Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,’ said Atticus. ‘She took it as a pain-killer for years’” (Lee 147). Atticus explains to his children that Mrs. Dubose used to yell at them because she was fighting morphine addiction and needed some way to get her anger out. Mrs. Dubose’s unseen patience displays her true intentions to prove that appearances are not always as they seem. “It suddenly came to me that each day we had been staying a little longer at Mrs. Dubose’s, that the alarm clock went off a few minutes later every day, and that she was well into one of her fits by the time it sounded” (Lee 145). After Jem cuts down Mrs. Dubose’s camellia’s for calling Atticus bad names, Mrs. Dubose punishes Jem by having him come and read to her every day for two hours. However, Jem and Scout soon find out that Mrs. Dubose actually extends their time at her house everyday by a couple minutes. While it seems like a harsh punishment, Mrs. Dubose’s true intention of extending the time each day was so that she could fight her addiction a little longer. Mrs. Dubose’s surprising self-control in lengthening the time between her morphine doses shows her true intentions of what she does to prove that things are not always as they seem. Her hidden fortitude in fighting morphine addiction and her astounding self-restraint in increasing the time between her doses of morphine help show Mrs. Dubose’s true intentions as part of the theme of the novel that sometimes appearances are
Unknown Identities and Assumed Profiles People tend to judge a lot, and worse, judge based on what others say. In the book, To Kill Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, three characters illustrate being victims of others’ false judgments. These individuals reveal little about their past, and so most of the people in Maycomb knew next to nothing about them. As a result, some misinformed folks make up and spread stories and speculations about those individuals’ pasts. Though the gossipers mean no harm, the individuals’ reputations suffer as a result.
In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s perspective of Boo Radley changes as others influence her. Initially, Scout thinks as Boo as a malevolent phantom, and is scared of him because of the stories she hears. Midway through the novel, Boo starts to reveal himself to Scout, and she starts on her journey to realizing who he really is. Finally, after Boo saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, Scout walks Boo back home. Now on the porch of the Radley place, Scout looks at her street from Boo’s perspective, and she realizes that Boo is just like anyone else, but he just rather live a reclusive life. Ultimately, Scout learns that she can not judge anyone until she is able to see life from their perspective.
Atticus used Mrs. Dubose as an example so Jem could understand what real courage looked like. After Jem realizes his mistake, he began to feel guilty for cutting all the flower heads off. At that point in the novel, the kids realize Mrs. Dubose isn’t just a mean old lady, but that she has more dimensions to her personality. As the evidence shows, Mrs. Dubose is another character in this book that is perceived differently than how she actually
When Mildred became depressed, she took pill after pill, perhaps trying to commit suicide. When she isn’t overdosing on pills, she is always listening to her seashells, watching the family or driving one-hundred miles per hour down a road. Once in awhile, she may invite some other ladies to come over and watch the family with her, but that is about it.
Mildred tries ending her life due to loneliness. For example, Mildred overdoses on sleeping pills and has to be revived by emergency medical technicians. This incident shows that Mildred is using drugs as a way to escape from her problems rather than facing them head on. However, Mildred's addiction to drugs is not just a personal problem, it is a symptom of a larger problem
Intro: The historical fiction book “To Kill a mockingbird” is a story of a lawyer, Atticus, and his two children growing up in the south in the 1930s. In this, Atticus takes a case wherein he has to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. This man is not guilty, but because of the town’s unfounded prejudice and racism, he is sentenced as guilty anyway and ends up dying. In this book, the theme of courage is shown in many ways, using the diction that Harper Lee uses to describe Atticus, the symbolism of Tim Johnson, and the details of Mrs. Dubose’s situation.
Dubose. Jem is sent to her house to read to her as a punishment, Scout goes with him to keep him company. “So don't let Mrs. Dubose get you down. She has enough troubles of her own”(Lee 124). This reflects the theme of teaching Scout to put herself in different perspectives.
Over the years, in To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout has grown as an individual. Most of these developments caused her to grow mature. Most of her growth comes from Atticus’ words and promises. Words that were given by Atticus was able to teach Scout how to be perceptive to people and a promise between Scout and him was able to strengthen her self control. After the fire in Miss Maudie’s house, the blanket given to her by Boo Radley was able to open her eyes and create an understanding that he’s a normal person.
Many philosophers say; “The most challenging part of growing up is letting go of what is comfortable, and moving on to something unknown.” This quote strongly applies to the maturity process of Jeremy “Jem” Finch, a lead character in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem struggles to understand his role in society as the picturesque facade of his sleepy southern town is destroyed, revealing the darkness underneath the surface. In this coming-of-age story amidst of a race war, Jem navigates the hardships of maturity. He is aided by the guidance of his father, who plays an integral role in the conflict of the small town as the court-appointed lawyer of an African-American man falsely accused of assaulting a white
People don’t realize or understand the truth about someone until they actually get view the true meaning of that someone’s life and what they have to deal with every day. In Harper Lee’s story (TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD) Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus states that, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” But as the kids age they start to realize that life is not as fair and understanding as it used to be.
After the month had happened, Mrs. Dubose died and then Atticus explained that Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict, which caused her to die. A number of other major events happened in chapters 10-15. In this journal, I will be characterizing Atticus Finch. Throughout
“You just hold your head high and keep those fists down.”- Atticus from TKMB. The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, features a small family living in the town of Maycomb. It's narrated by a young maturing girl named Scout. Growing up in the time of the Great Depression, Scout and her older brother Jem are faced with many obstacles due to Maycomb’s prejudice and unfair racial beliefs.
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main character and narrator Scout recalls the events leading up to her brother Jem’s broken arm. Throughout the story, the two children come upon several mysterious acts of kindness. Little do they know that they are from the one person the childrenthey would least expect: Boo Radley. Boo is mentally challenged and stays away from the public. Though he scares many of his neighbors, he never does anything to cause other people harm.
The best teacher is always experience. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem, one of the main characters, undergoes many significant personality changes. Jem’s character changes through several experiences, the most prevalent of those being when Jem turns twelve, when he destroys Mrs.Dubose’s flower bed, and when he learns of the town’s racial bias. Jem’s personality underwent significant changes when he turned twelve years old. His new behavior was noticed by Scout, who described him as,”...
Throughout the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, the readers can see how Scout changes her view about Boo Radley. Because of their nosiness, Jem, Scout, and Dill try to drag Boo out his house and to the outside world. Their innocent actions combined with Boo’s actions changed the image of Boo, in their minds, from “a malevolent phantom” (10), a person who kills cats and eats squirrels to a neighbor they can trust, who saves them from Bob Ewell. Scout says at the end, “Boo was our neighbor” (373). The readers can see a great change in their relationship.