Mrs. Dubose is as cranky as they come. She takes the “Sweet
old lady” stereotype, and shoves it down the toilet. She irritable, she’s loud,
she’s mean, and she produces a profound amount of saliva. Atticus Finch, on the
other hand, could take the “Father of the year” stereotype, and hang it on his
mantle. He’s a great listener, he respects his children, and he sets a great
example to follow. Mrs. Dubose and Atticus Finch couldn’t be more different,
yet, when you really put things into perspective, they couldn’t be more alike. They
share an essential quality, that every man should gain. And that, is courage
In the town of Maycomb, defending a black man is simply
unheard of. People will judge you for your beliefs, and they will treat you
with no respect. Atticus Finch is fully aware of the social downfall he and his
family name will take on when the Tom Robinson case goes to court. But, he is
also fully aware that what everyone else thinks you should do, isn’t always
right. Atticus knows that Tom is innocent, and he would rather take on a few
snide remarks and weird names, than be guilty of being injustice. If you ask
me, this is the right thing to do. It is brave and courageous. No one would
have thought any less of Atticus if he were to not defend Mr. Robinson in
court, but Atticus would think less
of himself. And that’s what really matters. Atticus is a role model for not
only Jem and Scout, but for people as a whole.
Although Scout introduces Mrs. Dubose as “Plain hell,” I see
her as a role model to follow as well. Despite
the horrid things she says, and her distaste for the social interaction, she
has exactly what Atticus has: courage. If you don’t believe me, ask Atticus
yourself. Atticus declares Mrs. Dubose as “The bravest person [he] ever met”(11).
I know it seems impossible for Mrs. Dubose to be a good person, but she really
is. Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict, who vowed to clean up before she died.
And, clean up she did. Atticus explains to the kids why he made them read to
Mrs. Dubose later in the book, and his words are insightful. “I wanted you to see what real courage is,”
he said, “instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his
hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway
and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.
Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she
died beholden to nothing and nobody” (11). Just like Atticus, no one would have
thought less of Mrs. Dubose if she were
to die with all of the morphine she could muster up, but she would think less
of herself. She wanted to die, beholden nothing to nobody.
Courage is a strong thing. Defined on
different terms, and shown in different ways. Anyone can have courage. Your neighbor,
your friend, your dad, or the mean lady a few doors down. And, even though all
of these people are different, with different personalities, and different
ambitions, they are all the same as well. They all share a common goal, and
that’s doing what’s right, even if it seems impossible.
