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Symbolism in how to kill a mockingbird
Symbolism in to kill a mockingbird essay
To kill a mockingbird symbolism
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Like every young girl, Scout Finch must learn how to navigate through the world and find who she is. With the help of some unexpected acquaintances and mature encounters, she ends up finding herself at a younger age than most. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated by the seven year old, Scout Finch. Her young age provides pros and cons to us as readers.
To Kill a Mockingbird Dialectical Journal #4 "I try to give 'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason... in the clutches of whiskey - that's why he won't change his ways. He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does... they could never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live" (Lee 268). (CH) Most people in the town of Maycomb could believe that Dolphus was an abomination, a drunk - whatever one would call him.
Have you ever been judged just because of your actions? Well if you have then you can relate to Dolphus Raymond. In this passage of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the literary elements of irony, symbol and the character of Dolphus Raymond help convey the theme that people have the right to live life the way they choose to live it, and if people wish to criticize you, let them because at the end of the day it is your happiness that really matters. The character of Dolphus Raymond is constantly criticized for having a different lifestyle than everyone else and in chapter 20 Dolphus is sipping on a bottle of Coca- Cola and is explaining to the children about how he deals with people and their opinions.
The kids never knew this they always viewed him as a drunk but as the met him and heard his secrets and viewed the way he lived his life they understood that he wasn’t an evil, drunk, or alcoholic he just tried to give folks a reason to understand. This relates right back to Atticus’s statement because the kids never truly understood the life of Dolphus Raymond until they actually got to meet him and hear how his life was. As the story went on the children began to understand Atticus’s statement, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Through the interactions with Dolphus and Boo it really changed how they viewed life in Maycomb, and showed how the children aged throughout the story.
but Coca-Cola.’ ” This quote shows how easily the people in Maycomb came to their own conclusions about Dolphus Raymond. Everyone thought that he had been drinking alcohol out of his paper sacks, just because of how he was hiding it and the way that he
In To Kill a Mockingbird there are many influential characters that did not make it into the movie adaptation. One of those important characters is Mr.Dolphus Raymond who was one of the few people that supported Atticus, went against the town, and influenced Scouts mind. In the very prejudicial town of Maycomb, Alabama Mr.Dolphus Raymond was a man living with a colored woman and their mixed kids simply because he preferred colored people over white people. Dolphus Raymond's different lifestyle and contradicting beliefs from the town made him a special character. Having him in the film would show how the town viewed people's differences in various manners.
This character possesses a powerful sense of insight about other people despite his seemingly strange behavior. He adheres to his values even though he horrifies the general population by living with "the blacks" and sympathizing with their plight. Mr. Dolphus Raymond exemplifies an upright man of great sympathy, insight, and peculiarities.
“Cry about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too”(Lee 269). Dolphus Raymond is a white man who came rich family. But he chose to marry a black woman and had children with her.
In the novel, Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy white man who is married to a black woman. He is considered to be an outcast because of this. Likewise, because his kids are mixed they are considered to be outcasts too. The Raymonds do not live in white neighborhoods. No one really accepts them; they are outcasts
The town of Maycomb is so prejudiced that Dolphus puts on a façade because he is fearful of being ostracized. On page 228, Dolphus explains to Scout why he fakes being a drunk. He says, "Folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey-that's why he won't change his ways." In other words, while he knowingly married a black woman, he acts drunk to pretend that he didn't deliberately try to follow society's "rule" of not marrying a black person. By doing so, he is protecting his true identity.
The White townspeople do not appreciate him because he has biracial children. In the story, he speaks to Scout and Dill about racism in Maycomb. He says, "Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too”(205). Dolphus Raymond attempts to get Scout and Dill to understand why they are more likely to not be upset by these injustices in the world. This quote also proves that prejudiced opinions are taught by the experiences someone has since children are not born with malicious thoughts.
Children know where they and their families stand at a young age and others rebel and make the people “lower” than them feel bad. This is something that is still very common today and makes reading To Kill a Mockingbird important so we can see the change we need. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, we are informed that social inequality leads to the loss of innocence and disorder in society, we are shown the loss of innocence through Mr. Raymond, and the internal thoughts of Scout, especially shown in her relationship with Walter, and we see both destruction and the loss of innocence in the trail with Tom Robinson. Mr. Doulphus Raymond is not the main character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, but he and his family are the precise examples of the loss of innocence because of social inequality. During the period Scout was narrating the book, Doulphus was known as the town drunk.
This shows that Mr. Raymond is willing to live with this lie in order to satisfy his neighbors' need to understand his lack of racism. Just like the mockingbird he means no harms to anyone and wishes only to live in peace with his family. Furthermore, Mr Raymond symbolizes a mockingbird because he doesn't like to fight. For instance, when scout asked him why does he pretend he’s drunk, he says When I come to town, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey—that's why he won't change his ways. He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does" it indicates that Mr. Raymond's leads a double life instead of fighting for what he believes in.
The subject of mental health and substance abuse is a matter that should not be taken lightly. I feel I have the right approach to this topic, due to the injustices I have seen firsthand and even experienced to some degree. This topic is brought to light in discrete moments throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Dolphus Raymond is one of the prime examples of the prejudice people under the influence face. Although Raymond was sober, he led the town to believe that he was addicted to alcohol and he soon became the town “drunkard.”
When we are children we grow up watching movies that transport us to another world. Take Disney movies, typically Disney movies transport you to a faraway land with interesting individuals that tend to on adventures; take Disney’s motion animated picture The Little Mermaid, within this movie we are given the opportunity to see how living underwater is “better”. That if you living on land there are many problems you generally would not find under the sea. Although this is an animated motion picture utilized to promote happiness in younger generations something interesting to note is that not everything under the water is better.
