Atticus, having more liberal views than most of Maycomb County, has a different definition of courage than most during the Great Depression in the South. When Mrs. Dubose passes away, Atticus explains to Jem that "she was the bravest person [he] ever knew" (Lee 149). He knew that her dying wish was to overcome her morphine addiction and being the strong woman that she was, Mrs. Dubose did "break herself of it" (Lee 148). Atticus explains how he wanted Jem to "see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand" (Lee 149). To Atticus, Mrs. Dubose was courageous because even though she knew how nearly impossible her goal was, she pushed to overcome her addiction no matter how challenging it may be for her mentally and physically. To Atticus, Mrs. Dubose won. She won when other's have failed. I think that Mrs. Dubose was a huge inspiration to Atticus. Similar to her, Atticus is going to have to face many challenges in the future regarding his trial coming up in the summer. Defending a black man's word against a white woman's is not only nearly impossible, but will cause major controversy among his community and hate against Atticus and his children. Like Mrs. Dubose, Atticus is brave enough to try however, even though he knows he might fail. His passion to do the right thing and be a positive role model for his children pushed him to help Tom Robinson in his plead for innocence. He must match Mrs. Dubose's determination in order to succeed, and in order to do so, he must follow her example and let her acts of courage inspire him to be courageous himself.
I wonder however if Atticus' efforts to try and help Tom Robinson are worth it in the end. Is he putting his children in too much danger? Are the hateful remarks toward himself and his children going to do any harm to Jem and Scout? Do you think that the trial will change his family negatively in any way?
I believe that the insults others are saying to the Finch's is going to hurt them later on. We already know that Jem's arm is broken when he turns thirteen, and that it was somehow related to the Ewells (Lee 1), but the remarks people are saying are starting to hurt them now. Mrs. Duboses' comments even cause Jem to go mad and destroy her Camelias (Lee 137). What i think is more important though, is whether or not this slander will cause one of the Finchs to attack another person.
ReplyDeleteMs. Dubose’s rude remarks are only a taste of what the real damage will be. Once the trial begins, more people will insult the Finch family just like Ms. Dubose used to do. The Finch family may become one of the most hated families in the town. As Atticus said, “I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease” (Lee 117). The worst is yet to come for the Finch family. All Atticus wants is for this trial not to affect the children, but so far that does not seem to be happening. Scout and Jem have already lost their tempers with little insults here and there, but there is no telling what they will do when the trial begins and news spreads.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Atticus believes that Ms. Dubose is courageous and brave because she over came her morphine addiction. I also believe that he looks up to her. I think she (her traits) gives him faith that his fight to win the Tom Robinson case is worth it, even though she opposes his fight for the case. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (Lee 149). The quote above takes place when Atticus is explaining to his children how brave Ms. Dubose was. What he is explaining clearly means a lot to him because he is telling his kids to teach them a lesson. In a way he is hinting towards what he is fighting for. Atticus is fighting because he knows its what he really wants and what he is really passionate about, even though he knows he might lose. Atticus is fighting the Tom Robinson case like Ms. Dubose was fighting her addiction. That is why I think Atticus admired Ms. Dubose.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Atticus's struggles in the Tom Robinson case are going to be worth it. Even though his children are going to get insulted for what Atticus is doing, it will teach them how to ignore hateful words and be the "bigger" person. It's also an important life lesson in the way that it will teach them how to stand up for what they believe in. Although Atticus knows that defending Tom Robinson will take a toll on his family, he's knows that not defending Tom would leave an even bigger mark on his conscious. As Atticus explains to Scout, "I couldn't go to church and worship God if I didn't try to help that man," (Lee 139). The hateful remarks may hurt Jem and Scout in an emotional way, but over time they will overcome these insults and use them to strengthen themselves in character and in soul.
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