Can you recall a quote where Mrs. Dubose criticizes Atticus to Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird?
Old Mrs. Dubose makes "vicious" comments to Jem and Scout nearly every time they pass her house. Even when Scout "sunnily" greets her, Mrs. Dubose retaliates with an insult. The old lady particularly infuriates Jem when she mentions the children's mother, but Atticus always tells Jem to "hold your head high and be a gentleman." But Jem could not contain himself one Saturday when he and Scout passed by. Mrs. Dubose accused them of playing "hooky"; when they explained that there was no school on weekends, she sailed into them again. After insulting Scout for wearing overalls and for probably facing a future of "waiting on tables at the O. K. Cafe," she directed her fury on Atticus.
"Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!...
"... Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" ( Chapter...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
11)
It was this last remark that triggered Jem's destruction of Mrs. Dubose's prized camellias.
Which two comments by Mrs. Dubose infuriate Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird?
On the day in question, Mrs. Dubose does say that Scout will end up working at the O.K. Cafe, which terrifies her because of its bad reputation. Scout grabs at her brother's hand for comfort, but he shakes her loose. Even though Jem is upset Mrs. Dubose said Scout will wait tables as an adult, that comment does not make Jem mad enough to retaliate. In fact, he's the one who tells Scout not to pay attention to Mrs. Dubose's cruel prediction for her future. Mrs. Dubose sees this comment about Scout does not affect the children, so she decides to say two comments that shoot directly into Jem's soul:
"Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for ni**ers! ... Yes indeed, what has this world come to when a Finch goes against his raising? I'll tell you! ... Your father's no better than the ni**ers and trash he works for!" (101-102).
These comments hurt the children a lot because they are accustomed to hearing negative and racist comments from other children, but never from an adult. Adults are supposed to teach children to be kind, share, and take turns. For Mrs. Dubose not to follow the ways of decency, kindness, and respect—to stoop lower than the mind of a child—makes her behavior so much worse.
I believe that Jem may have lost his temper more than twice in the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, but three examples are listed below.
MRS. DUBOSE. Atticus forced Jem to read to the irritable Mrs. Dubose after he damaged her shrubs, and Jem eventually found it a tolerable experience. But one night Atticus is summoned to her house, and when he returns, he informs Jem that the old lady has died. She has remembered Jem, however, with a final gift: a box with a white camellia--a Snow-on-the-Mountain.
Jem's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Old hell-devil, old hell-devil!" he screamed, flinging it down. "Why can't she leave me alone?"
CEMENTINGTHEKNOTHOLE. After receiving several groups of gifts in the knothole of the Radley tree, Jem and Scout decide to thank Boo with a note. But when he goes to deliver it the next morning, he finds that the hole has been cemented. When he asks Mr. Radley about it, Jem is told that the "Tree's dyin'. You plug 'em up with cement when they're sick." But when asked later, Atticus declares that the tree looks perfectly healthy.
Atticus left us on the porch. Jem leaned on a pillar, rubbing his shoulders against it...
He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went into the house, I saw he had been crying...
THEVERDICT. To Jem, it was plain that Tom Robinson was innocent and that Atticus had done his job well. But the jury thought differently.
It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears...
"It ain't right, Atticus," said Jem.
"No, son, it's not right."