The Reading Punishment for Mrs. Dubose

Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose's camellias and is forced to read to her, leading to a lesson in courage and addiction.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Insult and Destruction

The Insult and Destruction The Verbal Attack Mrs. Dubose shouts at Jem and Scout as they pass. She says Atticus is no better than the niggers and trash he works for. Jem is furious. The Rampage Jem snatches Scout's baton and runs into Mrs. Dubose's yard. He cuts the tops off all her camellia bushes, leaving the ground littered with buds. He snaps the baton in two. The Aftermath Jem is ashamed but defiant. He tells Atticus what he did. Atticus makes him go to Mrs. Dubose's house to apologize and work on her garden. He also must read to her for a month.

The Reading Sessions

The Reading Sessions The Dark House Jem and Scout enter Mrs. Dubose's house. It is dark and creepy. She lies in bed, surrounded by an alarm clock, a syringe, and cotton. She is sick and cantankerous. The Reading Jem reads Ivanhoe aloud. Mrs. Dubose corrects him constantly. During the sessions, she has fits: her head moves, she drools, and her mouth works involuntarily. The alarm clock signals the end of each session. The Growing Length Gradually, the sessions get longer. Jem reads for nearly two hours some days. Mrs. Dubose's fits become less frequent. The children are trapped but unaware of the deeper purpose.

The Revelation of Addiction

The Revelation of Addiction Mrs. Dubose's Death Mrs. Dubose dies a few weeks later. Atticus brings a candy box containing a white camellia, a Snow-on-the-Mountain, for Jem. The Truth Atticus explains that Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict. She had been using it for years to ease pain, but she wanted to die free. The reading sessions were a distraction to help her break the addiction. Her fits were withdrawal symptoms. The Lesson in Courage Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose was the bravest person he ever knew. She knew she was licked before she began, but she began anyway and saw it through. This redefines courage for Jem and Scout.

a Saturday afternoon, after Jem's birthday

every afternoon for a month, plus Saturdays

after the month ends