Jem Reads to Mrs. Dubose

Jem, accompanied by Scout, reads Ivanhoe to Mrs. Dubose each afternoon. The sessions are grueling: Mrs. Dubose corrects his every mistake, insults Atticus, and suffers from mysterious fits that leave her drooling and convulsing. The alarm clock signals the end of each session, and gradually the time extends. After a month, Mrs. Dubose releases Jem. Shortly afterward, she dies. Atticus reveals that she was a morphine addict who had resolved to break her addiction before her death, and that Jem's reading had been a distraction during her painful withdrawal. He gives Jem a candy box containing a perfect white camellia from Mrs. Dubose, a symbol of her victory over her addiction. Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose was the bravest person he ever knew, defining true courage as knowing you are licked before you begin but beginning anyway and seeing it through.