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To Kill Dolphus Raymond Character Analysis

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To Kill Dolphus Raymond
In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee not only delves into the precarious world of prejudice but also surveys the vulnerability of those greatly affected by it. Dolphus Raymond, a wealthy white man, is teetering at the lower edge of society. In the eyes of Maycomb, he is treated as a social outcast due to his relations with African-Americans. Raymond is well-aware of the ongoing racism and prejudice in Maycomb, and as a way of tolerating it, Raymond feigns alcoholism by hiding a Coca-Cola bottle in a paper bag. Feigning alcoholism would give people a reason as to why he lived an untraditional lifestyle, and the story’s protagonist, Scout Finch, and her friend, Dill Harris, come across these true realities …show more content…

It represents the innocent who were injured through contact with evil. Dolphus Raymond is identified as a mockingbird, and in his case, the prejudice that Raymond receives throughout Maycomb is his contact with evil. Raymond is constantly ridiculed for his lifestyle that is deemed unfit when it comes to Maycomb’s society. Raymond’s relations with African-Americans are looked down upon and prejudiced, but he does not let that overcome him. Instead, he learns to tolerate it by feigning alcoholism and tries to explain it to the children: “‘I try to give ‘em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason. [...] 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,’” (Lee 268). Dolphus Raymond understands that the people in Maycomb wouldn’t be able to overlook its prejudice to be able to understand his lifestyle. In order to live his life without being constantly pestered by the people of Maycomb, Raymond feigns alcoholism as a way for people to “understand” why he lived a life much different from those who lived in Maycomb.
It is plain to see that To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel as complex as it is enthralling. Filled with unique and complex characters, this novel takes the reader on a journey to discovering the crooked realities of a town of

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