Why is Dolphus Raymond in the book?-Barber

Dolphus Raymond is in the book because he represents one of many outsiders that don’t fit into the
‘Maycomb Way.’ Dolphus plays a small part, but his role helps Scout and Dill growth. When Dill asks
why the white guy sits with the black people, Jem says, “Always does. He like ‘em better’n he likes us,
I reckon. Lives by himself way down near the county line. He’s got a colored woman and all
sorts of mixed chillun…”(183.) This is Jem’s description of the man, so while it may not be completely
accurate, the reader can infer that this guy definitely does not fit into the county’s lifestyle.
Harper Lee chooses to include Dolphus because even with his flaws, he foreshadows the future
of Maycomb. The fact that they see Mr. Raymond right before the trial is significant because
Dolphus represents de-segregation, and Atticus is going to have to fight racism in Maycomb.
Dill can learn from this experience because he now has a whole new take on Maycomb. And because
Scout is more mature, she now has a better understanding of why Atticus is fighting for Tom Robinson.
Also, after everything Scout understands the racism in Maycomb, Dolphus demonstrates that it’s
okay to have differing opinions with Maycomb.
Why do the children think that the Raymond children live a “sad” life?
Do you think there is room for  Dolphus Raymond to reappear in the novel? Where/when?
In what ways are Atticus and Dolphus similar?

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2019 at 4:22 PM

    I agree that Dolphus Raymond is a symbol of desegregation. Having children with someone of the opposite race was very rare in the 30s. It is surprising that it would even happen in a town like Maycomb. Dolphus is not racist like many people in Maycomb, just like Atticus. I think the Raymond children live a sad life because they don’t fit in. There were hardly any mixed-race people in the 30s and especially not in the south. They are not accepted by black people because they are partly white and not expected by the white people because they are partly black. They also had to break the Maycomb way by leaving and going to the north, where people would accept them. How do you think Maycomb first handled the Raymonds having children?

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2019 at 4:28 PM

    The children haven't had much exposed to people of mixed race, Scout going so far as to ask Jem what "mixed children" are and how her brother can "tell" what race the kids are. It is clear that the trio makes another assumption when saying that the Raymond children live a "sad" life. Jem says that because they're biracial, they'll be cast out of and ostracized by both the Black and white community. I think that there judgements actually are fairly correct in the context of the segregated 1960s. Maycomb is a prime example of what it is like to live in the South in this time and the racism and prejudice that looms over Black people. People of mixed race wouldn't be spared the unjust treatment, and as Jem said, they would belong to neither the Black nor white community. I can't say that would lead to a quote-on-quote "sad" life, but children like the Raymonds' would find it hard to fit in.

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2019 at 6:07 PM

    In what ways are Atticus and Dolphus similar?


    Atticus and Dolphus are similar because they are both viewed as different in the small town of Maycomb. Atticus is different by standing up for Tom Robinson's case which the majority of people don’t support. Dolphus married a black woman which nobody has done in Maycomb. I think Harper Lee was trying to make a point to the outside world that Dolphus was brave enough to marry a black woman and have children in a town like Maycomb. It also shows how Atticus was brave enough to take the case and stand up against the whole town.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2019 at 6:09 PM

    Although we do not know much about Dolphus, we know that he is not racist and does not feel the need to be segregated or hateful towards black people. Atticus, on a certain level, also believes in equality. But, Dolphus and Atticus are different since Atticus wants to spread his hope and knowledge with the rest of the town, which he is doing with the trial. Dolphus, as far as we know, does not try to educate people in Maycomb on racism and oppresion. Atticus acts as a light of hope for the town. And Dolphus, so far, keeps to himself and does not enlighten people.

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2019 at 7:21 PM

    The Raymond children live a hard life, because they are in this difficult situation because they are biracial which is very rare in the south in the 1930s. The Raymond children don't have a sense of belonging. In Maycomb, there is either black or white, and since they are both, you'd expect them to get the best out of it, but in reality it's the complete opposite. Black people won't except them because they are part white, and white people won' except them because they are part black.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2019 at 9:16 AM

    The Raymond family is diverged between two different communities so it is difficult for them to fit in. Their father is very similar to Atticus in a way that they both treat black people equally and have respect for others. Jem and Scout think that the children live a sad life because they don't fit in most places they go. They are outsiders to all communities, so they are lonely and sad. It is unfair to the children since they did not decide for their life to be like this, although people decide to treat them unequally. Harper Lee included this family in the novel because it helps Scout understand how some people live difficult lives where they aren't accepted everywhere, while wherever Scout goes people treat her kindly and with respect.

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2019 at 9:29 AM

    The Raymond children are biracial and live a life between the two communities of the black and white. Being biracial was not "normal" for people to see in the 1930s and being mixed in these two races made it tough for the Raymond children. It was unusual because black people and white people did not get along as black people were looked down on. The children live a "sad" life because being torn in these two communities makes them lonely and does not give them a place to fit in. A sense of belonging was missing in their lives, and having a feeling that you belong at least somewhere makes it better for one to live.

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2019 at 9:34 AM

    The children of Dolphus Raymond live a sad life because they are mixed race. Because they are half black, white people won't accept them, and because they're half white, black people won't accept them. Jem describes them as "in-betweens, don't belong any where," (183). Since they are not wanted in any community, whenever they are in town they are always sad, because they feel like they don't belong.

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