Journal Entry #4

Chapters: 10-12
Perspective: Mrs. Dubose

I despise those awful Finch children. No manners no respect. They are especially fanatical about disrespecting me, an old bed ridden and isolated woman. I've been cursed by living adjacent to them. Why back in my day you'd be beat if you acted a fraction as horrid as those children. There's no reason to be perplexed by it if you act badly you would be punished. But I suppose their father's more to blame than themselves. He lets them run wild through this town. No restraint they are free to do what ever they want like savages. Why a few times I've debated whether to shoot them with my old pistol. He lets his daughter wear overalls when she should be wearing a dress like a lady. However if their mother was still living she wouldn't stand for this. She'd turn them into proper gentiles and they'd show me some much deserved respect. Why that boy Jem Finch he killed my flowers, each and everyone of them, right in front of me. Why that's simply unheard of. But at least his disgrace of a father had the decency to send him to me for disciplining seeing as he can't do it himself. But I got him. I told him to read for me for a month every day for two hours. Well that took the grin off his face. The first days he came and read. Unfortunately my morphine addiction has got the best of me and is bringing me down. It's too hard to resist and at my age I don't think there's any reason to. After a while of reading I go into my fits and I can't remember anything after that. One night I died but I left something for Jem. I'm sure he'll misinterpret it now but I left him a box with one of my camellias in it. I hope he understands I'm just a sad old woman rundown by the world and he shouldn't mind me. I want him to see I'm still a good person at heart and that he should ignore my harsh words. I wish him and his sister good luck.