What is Significant about Mr. Dolphus Raymond in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

What is Significant About Mr. Dolphus Raymond?

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a groundbreaking novel that tells a story of overcoming prejudice and discrimination through the eyes of a little girl. The book is set in the 1930s in a small, tight-knit town in Alabama called Maycomb. The story is told from the perspective of a little girl named Scout whose father, Atticus, is a lawyer and represents a black man convicted of raping a white woman. This is despised by the town and leads to a lot of problems for Scout’s brother, Jem, her father, Atticus, and herself.

This disapprobation of Atticus leads to a drunk man attacking Scout and Jem when they are alone, and they are rescued by an unexpected hero. Throughout the story, Atticus and trusted members of the town teach the children many good lessons and shows them right from wrong. These lessons teach the children many important morals and values, but one of the most important is the rejection of racism. Racism was seen as wrong by Atticus and a slim few of the townspeople, although it was encouraged by the rest of the town. Harper Lee shows racism is wrong through Atticus’s lessons and Scout’s thoughts and experiences. Lee’s overall message about racism is that it is erroneous and should always be avoided.

A Symbol of Disguised Truth

Throughout the novel, Lee shows a full denunciation of racism which is seen everywhere in the novel. From austere examples to tacit understanding, Lee’s opposition to racism constantly appears. One of the more aggressive ways that Lee shows her message is through the town’s reaction to Atticus representing and fighting for a black man in court. The town is livid about Atticus not discriminating against the convicted Tom Robinson, like everyone else. At a Finch family gathering, Francis, one of Scout’s cousins, shows us just how much other people disapprove of Atticus’ actions by saying, “Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you run wild, but now he’s turned out a nigger-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doin’.”  This quote shows just how much hatred Atticus is getting for representing a black man.

A little bit after this quote, Scout ends up fighting Francis, which kind of shows him as a villainous character making his words seem even more treacherous, helping Lees’s point. Although Lee does not directly convey her message of anti-racism in this quote, it is pivotal in setting up one of those teaching moments that helps Scout and the reader understand Lee’s message. By giving the negative reaction to Atticus’ decision to represent Tom, we see how much the family disapproves, which Lee eventually uses as a teaching moment for Scout instilling some of her messages within this teaching moment. Lee shows Uncle Jack’s reaction to Francis’s behavior which really drives home her message. Through the quote,” From the look on Uncle Jack’s face, I thought I was in for it again. When he said, “We’ll see about this,” I knew Francis was in for it.” (Lee 98)Scout is shown that what Francis said was wrong. Lee shows her message of anti-racism by showing the family’s reaction to Atticus representing a black man and then showing that the racist reaction the family had was wrong. Although it was a bit long-winded, Lee’s message was thorough and well explained by the lesson that Scout was taught. Through these two quotes and reactions, Lees’s message is clearly displayed and makes an important impact on the tone of the rest of the novel.

The Profound Impact of Mr. Dolphus Raymond

Another character that Lee uses to convey her anti-racism message is Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Although he was only discussed briefly, he played a huge role in developing the message. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a white man who married a black woman and has mixed children. He is discriminated against due to this fact, but most people just dismiss it due to his constant intoxication. We later find out that Mr. Dolphus Raymond pretends to be drunk to protect his family. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is one of the only nonracist characters in the book; he even says,” Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too.” This is one of the most meaningful and significant quotes in the entire novel. With this quote, Lee directly addresses the topic of racism and openly opposes it in a way that everyone can understand simple comparisons. By saying that black people are people, too, Lee provides a simple comparison that conveys her message perfectly. Lee gives a deeper understanding of Mr. Dolphus Raymond while also delivering the message of anti-racism in this quote, which in my opinion, makes it one of the best quotes in the novel.

Another one of the most important quotes of the novel comes directly after Mr.Dolphus Raymond’s statement. This quote shows once again the message of anti-racism while also showing Scout being taught and learning good morals and values. The quote,” Atticus says cheatin’ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man”, shows the prevalent message of anti-racism while once again showing that Atticus teaches Scout good morals. This is one way in which Lee conveys her message through what Atticus explains to his children what is good and what is bad. Atticus telling the children what is right and what is wrong helps Lee sow her message in the novel by saying what she thinks is right and wrong through Atticus. Lee uses Atticus to convey what she feels is right and wrong and has him explain it to the children so the reader knows. This, yet again, helps Lee develop her message of anti-racism.

Conclusion

Harper Lee’s main message concerning racism in To Kill a Mockingbird is that racism should always be avoided and is crushing to society. Lee’s message is seen throughout the entire novel through certain characters’ thoughts or feeling or by others’ actions. One major thing that supports Lees’s message is how other people in the town react to nonracist people or actions. By showing what the town thinks and then proving how they are views are myopic, Lee clearly demonstrates the message of anti-racism again and again. From family to supposed town drunks, Lee gets her message across through the actions of people and the reactions of those around them.

References:

1. Smith, J. (2019). Overcoming prejudice in literature. Literary Analysis Online. https://www.litanalysis.com/overcoming-prejudice-literature

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