There are many instances in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, where flowers symbolize the character that grows them. The flowers and their meanings are connected to the way the character that grows them presents themselves. Harper Lee purposely set the book up this way so the reader could see the somewhat hidden connection. Three instances where characters connect to the flowers they grow are, Miss Maudie Atkinson and her azaleas; Mayella Violet Ewell and her geraniums; Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose and her camellias. Miss Maudie Atkinson and her azaleas are one representation of how the flowers mentioned in the novel connect to the characters. Azaleas represent intelligence, femininity, and temperance. This is shown through Miss
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Henry Lafayette Dubose and her camellias are another representation of flowers showing through the characters in the book. Camellias represent courage, and Mrs. Dubose represents courage repeatedly. For example, when Atticus says, “She said she was gonna leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody,”(Lee 148), in reference to Mrs. Dubose, he is explaining what she really went through behind closed doors. It took courage for her to even try and get off morphine knowing she was addicted to it; she set a standard for herself. Additionally, when Atticus says, “I wanted you to see something about her— 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 with and you see it through no matter what,”(Lee 149), in reference to Mrs. Dubose once again, he is explaining her courage. It took courage and determination for her to realize she did not want to be addicted to morphine when she died. The fact that she went through withdrawal and did so successfully shows the amount of courage she …show more content…
This is shown through Mrs. Dubose when she says, “Thought you could kill my Snow-on-the-Mountain did you? Well, Jessie says the top’s growing back out. Next time you’ll know how to do it right, won't you? You'll pull it up by the roots, won't you?”(Lee 146). When taken into context what Mrs. Dubose said is a metaphor for racism. She is saying you cannot kill her camellias without pulling them from the roots; without killing the source. Metaphorically what she is saying is that it is not possible to destroy racism by destroying one person, it has to be stopped from the roots, from its source. In order for racism to be destroyed, it would have had to be stopped before it even began. This ties to Mrs. Dubose because she is
Henry Lafayette Dubose and her camellias are another representation of flowers showing through the characters in the book. Camellias represent courage, and Mrs. Dubose represents courage repeatedly. For example, when Atticus says, “She said she was gonna leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody,”(Lee 148), in reference to Mrs. Dubose, he is explaining what she really went through behind closed doors. It took courage for her to even try and get off morphine knowing she was addicted to it; she set a standard for herself. Additionally, when Atticus says, “I wanted you to see something about her— 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 with and you see it through no matter what,”(Lee 149), in reference to Mrs. Dubose once again, he is explaining her courage. It took courage and determination for her to realize she did not want to be addicted to morphine when she died. The fact that she went through withdrawal and did so successfully shows the amount of courage she …show more content…
This is shown through Mrs. Dubose when she says, “Thought you could kill my Snow-on-the-Mountain did you? Well, Jessie says the top’s growing back out. Next time you’ll know how to do it right, won't you? You'll pull it up by the roots, won't you?”(Lee 146). When taken into context what Mrs. Dubose said is a metaphor for racism. She is saying you cannot kill her camellias without pulling them from the roots; without killing the source. Metaphorically what she is saying is that it is not possible to destroy racism by destroying one person, it has to be stopped from the roots, from its source. In order for racism to be destroyed, it would have had to be stopped before it even began. This ties to Mrs. Dubose because she is