1. LOOKS LIKE
1.1. Quality
1.1.1. 'She was horrible. Her face was the colour of a dirty pillowcase, and the corners of her mouth glistened with wet, which inched like a glacier down the deep grooves enclosing her chin. Old-age liver spots dotted her cheeks, and her pale eyes had black pinpoint pupils. Her hands were knobbly, and the cuticles were grown up over her fingernails. Her bottom plate was not in, and her upper lip protruded; from time to time she would draw her nether lip to her upper plate and carry her chin with it. This made the wet move faster.' p116
1.1.1.1. Although it is not obvious to Scout at the time, the reader can tell that Mrs Dubose is sick by this description of her. Another view prior to knowing that she was addicted to morphine could be that it plays to the stereotype of mean or evil characters always having an ugly face.
1.2. Old and wheelchair bound
1.2.1. 'She was very old; she spent most of each day in bed and the rest of it in a wheelchair.' p 108
1.2.1.1. We were shown her age required a wheelchair and bed.
1.3. Sickly
1.3.1. 'Something had happened to her. She lay on her back, with the quilts up to her chin. Only her head and shoulders were visible. Her head moved slowly from side to side. From time to time she would open her mouth wide, and I could see her tongue undulate faintly. Cords of saliva would collect on her lips; she would draw them in, then open her mouth again. Her mouth seemed to have a private existence of its own. It worked separate and apart from the rest of her, out and in. like a clam hole at low tide. Occasionally it would say, 'Pt,' like some viscous substance coming to a boil.' p 116
1.3.1.1. The reader can tell that something is wrong from the description that Scout provides.
2. BELIEFS & VALUES
2.1. Racist views that white people were superior to black
2.1.1. 'Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for.' 111
2.1.1.1. She agrees, like most people in Maycomb, that black people were beneath white. These beliefs were probably carried from her childhood, where racial views were even more widely expressed. She expected rules of society to be followed.
2.2. Belief
2.2.1. Quote or Evidence (Including page #)
2.2.1.1. Explain
2.3. Not wanting to be tied to anything
2.3.1. 'She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody.' p120
2.3.1.1. Mrs Dubose, even in suffering, did not want to be tied to or indebted to something or someone by the time of her death.
2.4. Respect for old rules and manners
2.4.1. ''And you-' she pointed an arthritic finger at me - 'what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!'' p110
2.4.1.1. Mrs Dubose thinks of the world that she currently lives in as the one that she grew up in. She insists that women should wear dresses, and has racist views on society due to the fact that black people were slaves when she grew up.
3. HOW OTHERS SEE HIM OR HER...
3.1. Frightening
3.1.1. 'It was rumoured that she kept a CSA pistol concealed among her numerous wraps and shawls.' p108 'For the life of me, I did not understand how he could sit there in cold blood and read a newspaper when his only son stood an excellent chance if being murdered with a Confederate Army relic. [...] 'You don't care what happens to him,' I said. 'You just send him on to get shot at when all he was coin' was standin' up for you.'' p113
3.1.1.1. Scout was scared of Mrs Dubose, as was shown when she sat on Atticus' lap, thinking that Jem would be killed.
3.2. Bitter
3.2.1. 'Jem and I hated her. If she was on the porch when we passed, we would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to a ruthless interrogation regarding our behaviour, and given a melancholy prediction on what we would amount to when we grew up, which was always nothing.' p108
3.2.1.1. Mrs Dubose never spoke kindly of anyone unless she had found a way to turn it into an insult. She was bitter towards everyone, and constantly commenting on the behaviour of others.
3.3. Mean
3.3.1. 'neighbourhood was opinion was unanimous that Mrs Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived' p 38
3.3.1.1. The whole neighbourhood disliked Mrs Dubose.
3.4. Brave
3.4.1. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, 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. She was the bravest person I ever knew." p 121
3.4.1.1. Atticus thought of Mrs Dubose as brave, and tried to teach this lesson to his children; bravery is when you face something that is nearly impossible to succeed against, but still try anyway.
4. ACTS LIKE
4.1. Critical
4.1.1. 'We could do nothing to please her. If I said as sunnily as I could, 'Hey, Mrs Dubose,' I would receive for an answer, 'Don't say hey to me, you ugly girl! You say good afternoon, Mrs Dubose. She was vicious.'' p108
4.1.1.1. All Scout attempted to do was talk to her kindly, but Mrs Dubose did not appreciate or acknowledge the effort made. She analyses their every word, dress, and makes the children feel uncomfortable.
4.2. Intrusive in private affairs
4.2.1. 'She was vicious. Once she heard Jem refer to our father as 'Atticus' and her reaction was apoplectic. Besides being the sassiest, most disrespectful mutts whoever passed her way, we were told that it was heart-breaking the way Atticus Finch let her children run wild' p109
4.2.1.1. She makes comments on Jem and Scout's lives that are not really any of her business, and where they are not welcome.
4.3. Delusional
4.3.1. 'Don't you lie to me!', she yelled. 'Jeremy Finch, Maudie Atkinson told me you broke down her scuppernong arbour this morning. She's going to tell your father and then you'll wish you never saw the light of day! If you aren't sent to the reform school before next week, my name's not Dubose!' Jem, who hadn't been near Miss Maudie's scuppernong arbour since last summer, and who know Miss Maudie wouldn't tell Atticus if he had, issued a general denial. 'Don't you contradict me!' Mrs Dubose bawled.
4.3.1.1. Mrs Dubose seems to be unable to tell what is fantasy and what is reality, and uses anything to be able to tell Jem off.
5. MOTIVATED BY
5.1. Pain
5.1.1. ''She's not suffering any more. She was sick for a long time. Son, didn't you know what her fits were?' Jem shook his head. 'Mrs Dubose was a morphine addict,' said Atticus. 'She took it as a pain-killer for years. The doctor put her on it. She'd have spent the rest of her life on it and died without so much agony, but she was too contrary-'' p 120
5.1.1.1. The readers were later shown that the reason for Mrs Dubose's fits, and this may have been a contributing factor in her meanness and how she treated the children.
5.2. Her will to die clean and with dignity
5.2.1. ''Just before your escapade she called me to make her will. Dr Reynolds told her she had only a few months left. Her business affairs were in perfect order but she said, "There's still one thing out of order."[...] She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody.' p 120
5.2.1.1. Mrs Dubose refused to take the easy way out, and instead decided to try and do what she thought was right. She didn't want to die while still relying on the aid of a drug.
5.3. Upholding old rules
5.3.1. Quote or Evidence (Including Page #)
5.3.1.1. Explain
6. TEXTUAL ISSUES OR CONCERNS LINKED TO THIS CHARACTER
6.1. Racism
6.1.1. 'Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for.' 111
6.1.1.1. Mrs Dubose believed in the old rules of white superiority, as she grew up in a time when people of colour was treated as inferior.
6.2. Deceptive Appearances
6.2.1. 'She's not suffering any more. She was sick for a long time. Son, didn't you know what her fits were?' Jem shook his head. 'Mrs Dubose was a morphine addict,' said Atticus. 'She took it as a pain-killer for years. The doctor put her on it. She'd have spent the rest of her life on it and died without so much agony, but she was too contrary-'' p 120
6.2.1.1. Mrs Dubose was always viewed as a mean old lady whose existence was not appreciated. It is later revealed that part of the reason why she acts that way is because being taken off the morphine leaves her in constant pain.
6.3. Mockingbird, one who is 'innocent'
6.3.1. Mrs Dubose is known for being mean and spiteful, but not many know the reason behind this, or do not care.
6.3.1.1. Her addiction to morphine and the time that she grew up contributed to how she acted, but not many saw her as brave for what she did. In a different situation, the end result could have been different, and she could possibly be a kinder person.
6.4. Morals: doing what is right
6.4.1. Quote or Evidence (Including Page #)
6.4.1.1. Explain