How does your impression of Mrs. Dubose change as Chapter 11 progresses?

At the beginning of Chapter 11, Mrs. Dubose is depicted as a mean, racist, old woman who yells derogatory comments at Jem and Scout as they walk past her house. She says to Jem, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (Lee 135) This comment gets under Jem's skin, and as he is walking back from the store with Scout, he takes Scout's new baton and destroys the camellia bush in her front yard. Atticus punishes Jem and makes him read to Mrs. Dubose for two hours every afternoon, including Saturdays, for an entire month. Atticus explains to Jem that she is old and ill and that he shouldn't hold her responsible for things she says and does. When Jem reads to Mrs. Dubose, she is continually correcting him and making derogatory comments towards him. Jem ignores her negative comments, and he begins to notice that the longer he reads, the less she corrects him, and eventually she has a "fit." When the alarm rings, her housekeeper Jessie says it's time for her medicine.

Towards the end of the chapter, Mrs. Dubose passes away. Before she dies, she tells Jessie to give a gift to Jem. Atticus gives the gift to Jem, and it is a candy-box with a white camellia in perfect condition inside. Atticus explains to Jem that it was a gift of appreciation and is her way of saying "everything's all right now" (Lee 149). Jem learns that Mrs. Dubose suffered from a terminal illness and became addicted to morphine to ease her pain. When Mrs. Dubose approached Atticus about writing her will, she told him that she wanted to "leave this world beholden nothing to nobody" (Lee 148). Jem finds out that his reading kept her occupied in between her doses of morphine, and as his reading sessions were lengthened, the longer she went between doses. Eventually, Mrs. Dubose was able to break her morphine addiction. Atticus comments that she was the bravest person he ever knew. The audience goes from viewing Mrs. Dubose with contempt because she is an ornery racist, to admiring her for her courage and strong will.