The visits of Jem to Mrs. Dubose in To Kill A Mockingbird and the visits of Pip to Ms.Havisham in Great Expectations

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The Comparison between the visits of Jem to Mrs Dubose in To Kill A

Mockingbird with the visits of Pip to Miss Havisham in Great

Expectations.

This essay is regarding the many similarities and differences found

when comparing the scenes of Jem's visits to Mrs Dubose inTo Kill A

Mockingbird and Pip's visit to see Miss Havisham in Great

Expectations.

Both Jem and Pip have been forced to go and visit the two old women.

This is because Jem had 'cut the tops of every camellia bush Mrs

Dubose owned' and Pip was forced by those who had brought him 'up by

hand', especially his sister. However, Pip was very glad to have

arrived at Miss Havisham's, probably to get away from his sister, but

on the other hand Jem didn't want to visit Mrs Dubose because he had

to read to her for a month and because her house is 'dark and creepy'

from all of the 'shadows and things on the ceiling'. The other reason

for Jem visiting Mrs Dubose was because Atticus, Jem and Scout's

father, wanted Jem to help Mrs Dubose, learn from his experience and

develop humanity. In contrast to this, Mr Pumblechook and Pip's sister

send Pip to Miss Havisham for her to 'favour' him and hand over some

of her 'fortune' to Pip.

Miss Havisham is a well-known lady in her region as 'everyone miles

around' had heard of her 'up town' as she 'led a life of seclusion'

and was an 'immensely grim and rich lady' who lived in a 'large dismal

house, barricaded against robbers'. Similarly, Mrs Dubose is well

known in Maycomb as it was almost 'impossible to go to town without

passing her house'. Mrs Dubose would always sit in her wheelchair on

her porch gazing and interrogated the behaviour of Jem and Scout.

Miss Havisham is a quarter of an hour away from Pip's home. She is

situated by a 'large brewery' where 'no brewing was going on in it'.

On the other hand, Mrs Dubose is situated near to the 'business

section' of an 'old town' called Maycomb, 'two doors up the street'

from where Jem lives. This shows that Miss Havisham is isolated,

whereas Mrs Dubose is living close to many people in a community.

Miss Havisham's house was of 'old brick' and had 'many iron bars to

it. Some of the windows had been 'walled up' but those that remained

were 'rustily barred'. Furthermore, the courtyard in the front was

also barred. This gives an impression that Miss Havisham is locked up

n isolation. Likewise, Mrs Dubose had a front yard that had many

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