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To Kill A Mockingbird Outcast Analysis

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People that are different from the main crowd of society are often viewed as outcast of society. They don’t choose to be outcast but they chosen as outcasts by society. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird there are many outcast, including Boo Radley, Atticus Finch, and Mr. Dolphus. These castaways aren’t accepted by the rest of the town because of their looks or the way they act. Boo Radley is boy that lives across the street from main character of the book, Scout Finch. One day when Scout was talking with Miss Maudie she asked, “do you think Boo Radley’s still alive?” and she replied with, “His name’s Arthur and he’s alive” (Lee 57). Boo is seen like a ghost to the rest of the town because no one ever sees him come out of his house. This …show more content…

Dolphus a rich white man that has a colored wife and family hides the truth from society. While Mr. Dolphus is talking to Scout about why he does what he does, he tells her that, “Secretly, Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.”(Lee 268). He lives the way he does so he can live in peace and not have to deal with the constant prejudice of others in the town. Mr. Dolphus knows that he isn’t like the rest of the town so he tries to give people of the town a reason so he can still fit in (Lee 268). He tricks the folks of the town so the hate gets passed by false reasons. Mr. Dolphus is also presented as an outcast through the way people treat him so he has to hide his real personality. Harper Lee shows that outcast in our society are often treated different because of their opinions or actions. Truly, Mr. Dolphus he tries to hide his real self to keep peace in the town he lives in. Whereas, Atticus is respected though pushed away because of his opinions and Boo Radley because of his actions. Lee develops the idea to the reader than sometimes the outcasts of society are in many ways the hero even though they are viewed as scary or

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232 Words | 1 Pages

Arthur now 33 years old was now back home with his father and was never seen again by the townspeople. Soon after Jem, Dill, and Scout hear of Arthur's story and they nickname him “Boo” because he acts like a ghost. Jem creates the “Boo Radley” game where Scout, Dill, and Jem would reenact when “Boo” stabbed his father. Atticus the father of Scout and Jem

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427 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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1046 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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501 Words | 3 Pages

I will show why these are as such. Dolphus Raymond is a white man and he is married to a black woman. He accepts them for the type of people they are. Other citizens in the county of Maycomb believe there is a reason behind his “drastic” decisions. Dolphus pretends to be a drunk to provide the other white people with an explanation for his lifestyle, but he actually isn’t a drunk, because inside of his paper bag is simply Coca Cola.

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697 Words | 3 Pages

Dolphus Raymond represents social injustice in To Kill A Mockingbird. During Tom Robinson’s trial, Jem, Scout, and Dill meet Dolphus Raymond. They observe Mr. Raymond and notice that he is drinking from a paper bag. It is believed around Maycomb that Mr. Raymond drinks whiskey from the bag and that he is an alcoholic, but Raymond is actually just drinking coke from the bag. Raymond pretends to be a drunk so that he has an excuse to give the town for his “bad” decisions.

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975 Words | 4 Pages

An outcast is a term typically used to describe a person that isn't widely accepted by normal members of society. In the story The Catcher in the Rye, main character Holden Caulfield struggles with being a normal, functioning member of society. In fact, he often rejects being one by his own device. Holden rejects many social norms, including things like trying not to mature, not adapting to any social situation and watching other people doing things while he doesn't, and just his overall awkward nature. He does most definitely not succeed in his rebellion towards society.

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793 Words | 4 Pages

Days in Maycomb have never been normal for Boo Radley or Tom Robinson, over the years they get misunderstood and judged for reasons they don’t even understand. They only have two reason they could possibly “hate them”, rumors people are spreading and the sheer fact that people hated African American people. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, “Boo the Monster” rests from the comfort of his home while he gazes at Jem, Scout, and Dill, which he sees he’s being mimicked for the things he “has done”. Tom Robinson stares back at a large crowd of angry people for a crime he didn’t commit but has no way to prove it. Racism is a horrible thing but in Maycomb Alabama, it was at it’s peak.

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478 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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1155 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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860 Words | 4 Pages

To Have And To Use Eleanor Roosevelt once acclaimed, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along” (Roosevelt). Eleanor Roosevelt faced many challenges and prejudices throughout her life. She would not have been able to overcome these if she had not demonstrated strength and courage.

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607 Words | 3 Pages

“Scout, it’s nothing but Coca-Cola” (Lee 200). Initially Scout sees Dolphus Raymond in the same sense as everyone else does, but after she learns the truth her outlook on him completely changes. Scout learns that judging someone without knowing the entire story is completely unfair. The people of Maycomb treated him without empathy, and because of that his life was very sad.

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671 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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997 Words | 4 Pages

Does society outcast those who defy its norms? Are unique and special individuals tossed aside in favor of rule following drones? By looking at different literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Boy Erased, and The Handmaid 's tale it is clear that people are often treated as outcasts when they defy societal norms. In To Kill a Mockingbird Maycomb treats mixed-race children like outcasts because they aren’t one race or the other.

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason...folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey... that’s why he lives the way he does’”(Lee 268). The fact that Raymond needs to hide the fact that he prefers blacks over whites means that he fears criticism from the other whites. It is apparent that liking blacks is a negative thing in Maycomb. But why is that?

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769 Words | 4 Pages

Dolphus Raymond is a rich white man who has mixed children. He prefers to live among blacks than in a white society. He hates the fact that when it comes to certain things that blacks are always gonna be the people that everyone can blame. He acts like a drunken man so the people of Maycomb can have a reason for his behavior. His soon to be wife shot herself before the wedding because she found out about his black mistress.

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