How does Dolphus Raymond go against the "Maycomb Way"?- Pappendick

In the beginning of chapter 20, Dolphus Raymond stops the kids and 
has a conversation with them. Dolphus Raymond offers Dill a sip of 
his drink and Dill accepts his offer. The kids are surprised to find out 
that the drink in his cup all this time has been Coca-Cola instead of 
alcohol. This is because there has been a stereotype put on Dolphus 
Raymond that he is an alcoholic and he is an evil man. Everyone in 
Maycomb has a stereotype about them whether they like it or not. This is 
just the “Maycomb Way” and this is how this town has always worked. 
Dolphus Raymond puts this stereotype on himself because he does not 
care how the people of Maycomb view his decisions. He does this 
because it makes it easier for people to understand why he spends so 
much time with black people. While he is talking with Scout he explains
to her the reason why he pretends, “‘Well, it’s very simple,’ he said. ‘Some 
folks don’t like the way I live. Now I could say the hell with ‘em, I don’t 
care if they don’t like it. I do say I don’t care if they don’t like it, right
enough but I don’t say the hell with ‘em, see?’ This quote shows how 
Dolphus Raymond is an outlier in Maycomb since he has his own individual 
views, and thinks differently. 
Scouts conversation with Dolphus Raymond shows her growth because she is 
learning different views on life. Her whole life she has been stuck in Maycomb 
and only learned how they view life and their opinions. This conversation allowed 
her to see that not all stereotypes are true and if some people are nicer than it seems. 
As Scout grows older she is going to need to see the world in her own way and she is 
going to begin to develop her own opinions. This is the start of that process as she is 
becoming familiar with these new ideas. 

Questions:
  1. Do you think Dolphus Raymond would act the same if he didn't have mixed children? 
  2. Do you this conversation impacted Scout?
  3. What do you Atticus’s are on Dolphus Raymond?

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2019 at 4:45 PM

    Do you think Dolphus Raymond would act the same if he didn't have mixed children?

    I think Dolphus Raymond would act differently if he had white or black children. With mixed children, I think Dolphus Raymond sees both perspectives of black and whites, instead of Maycomb, who only favor white people no matter the evidence. In the trial, Tom Robinson had no evidence against him but all 12 jurors ruled him guilty because of his race. The “Maycomb Way” perceives white people as more important and trustworthy. Dolphus Raymond is one of the few citizens of Maycomb who puts evidence before skin color. He relates to Scout and Jem similarly, as the children see both perspectives and are not biased towards white folks. If Dolphus Raymond had white children like the majority of Maycomb, I think he would favor them, because he has only seen their side of the overall picture. Having mixed children, he can better understand and comprehend both sides of the trial, and he even prefers black people more.

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