Dolphus Raymond Character Analysis

Famous poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou once said, “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” This quote demonstrates one of the many themes in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel, written by Harper Lee, follows the story of the protagonist, Jean Louise Finch or Scout, who lives in Maycomb, Alabama with her brother, Jeremy “Jem” Finch, and her father, Atticus Finch. The story takes place in the 1930s, where Scout’s father, Atticus, is a lawyer who was chosen to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. While Atticus is preparing for his case, Jem, Scout, and their friend, Dill, have multiple encounters with their ghost-like neighbor,

Dubose, was Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond played a significant role because he helped develop the themes of social injustice and prejudice. During a break in Tom Robinson’s trial, Jem, Dill, and Scout meet Dolphus Raymond, a white man who prefers to spend time with people of color, has biracial children, and pretends to be an alcoholic. Dolphus Raymond pretends to be an alcoholic by drinking soda out of a brown paper bag to give the town an excuse for his behavior. Dolphus Raymond says, “... folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey - that’s why he won’t change his ways” (Lee 268). It was significant when Jem, Scout, and Dill meet Dolphus Raymond because he opened their eyes regarding the prejudice in Maycomb. Despite this, the movie fails to mention Dolphus Raymond. This makes Jem and Scout less aware of the social injustices Dolphus Raymond and people of color face because Dolphus Raymond provides an example of social injustice for the children. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Dolphus Raymond helps portray the themes of social injustice and prejudice, but was not depicted in the

The movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird combined the characters of Aunt Rachel and Miss Stephanie Crawford, who provided Jem and Scout with horrific rumors about Boo Radley. Additionally, the movie excludes Mrs. Dubose and Jem reading to her every night, which brings forth the themes of courage and forgiveness. Furthermore, the movie omits Dolphus Raymond, who is one of the examples of social injustice and help Jem and Scout understand the prejudice in Maycomb County. Regardless of the differences in each version, both, the movie and novel, portray the essential themes of people being prejudice and stereotyping people based on their race. Both versions follow the storyline of the protagonist and her brother seeing an innocent man being convicted because the jury decided to believe a white man’s lie over a black man’s