In Chapter 11, Mrs. Dubose is portrayed as an unapologetic racist who verbally insults the Finch family as Jem and Scout walk past her yard. Jem loses his temper after hearing Mrs. Dubose's hateful comments and ruins her camellia bushes on his way home from the store. Atticus punishes Jem by making him read to Mrs. Dubose every day, except on Sundays, for two hours. After Jem's punishment is over, Mrs. Dubose passes away, and...
In Chapter 11, Mrs. Dubose is portrayed as an unapologetic racist who verbally insults the Finch family as Jem and Scout walk past her yard. Jem loses his temper after hearing Mrs. Dubose's hateful comments and ruins her camellia bushes on his way home from the store. Atticus punishes Jem by making him read to Mrs. Dubose every day, except on Sundays, for two hours. After Jem's punishment is over, Mrs. Dubose passes away, and Atticus explains to the children that Mrs. Dubose suffered from a chronic illness. He also tells them that she was addicted to morphine, and her final wish was to break her addiction before she died. Atticus mentions that Mrs. Dubose died free and says,
"She still disapproved heartily of my doings, and said I'd probably spend the rest of my life bailing you out of jail. She had Jessie fix you this box—" (Lee 148).
When Jem opens the box, he finds a white, waxy, perfect camellia inside. Atticus then says,
"I think that was her way of telling you—everything's all right now, Jem, everything's all right. You know, she was a great lady" (Lee 149).
Mrs. Dubose's gift to Jem portrays her forgiving nature. She appreciated the time Jem spend reading to her because it helped her break her addiction. The white camellia represents her feelings of forgiveness towards Jem and serves as a keepsake to remember their time spent together.
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