Understanding Dolphus Raymond's Role in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Sample

It’s hard to find a more revolutionary novel ahead of its time than Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. This work was innovative in its way, offering a view of the world through the eyes of a child. A young soul lacks negative experiences, prejudices, the urge to discriminate, or the desire to adhere to the racist norms of the old days.

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Harper Lee’s ability to craft complex scenes with multilayered subtext exposes the flaws of humanity and the imperfections of morality as a concept. She steamrolls over old dogmas, leaving no room for ambiguity. In her paradigm, good is good, and evil is evil. There can be no allegories or compromises. That said, Dolphus Raymond deserves special attention as a character.

What is significant about this novel?

Imagine the 1930s, a small religious town and a community steeped in old doctrines. A crime occurs: a young girl is assaulted, and the accusations fall on a Black man. Atticus, a local lawyer, decides to defend the Black man in court, sparking significant outrage among the conservative society. The community has already passed its judgment in their minds and reacts with hostility to any attempts to challenge the verdict. This heavily impacts Mr. Atticus's children.

This disapproval of Atticus culminates in a drunken man attacking Scout and Jem when they are alone, but an unexpected hero saves them. Throughout the novel, Atticus and other trusted townspeople teach the children important morals, helping them distinguish right from wrong. These lessons emphasize values such as integrity, but the rejection of racism stands as one of the most significant themes. While Atticus and a handful of others recognize racism as immoral, the majority of the town supports it. Through Atticus’s teachings and Scout’s experiences, Harper Lee conveys a clear message: racism is fundamentally wrong and must always be rejected.

A symbol of disguised truth

Throughout the novel, Harper Lee strongly denounces racism, a theme deeply embedded in the story. From subtle moments to explicit examples, Lee consistently highlights her opposition to racial prejudice. One of the more striking illustrations of this is the town’s hostile reaction to Atticus defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of a crime. At a Finch family gathering, Francis, Scout’s cousin, reveals this disapproval when he says, “Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you run wild, but now he’s turned out a black 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 demonstrates the intense hatred Atticus faces for standing up for justice.

Shortly after, Scout fights Francis, portraying him as a treacherous figure whose words add weight to Lee’s point. While Lee does not state her anti-racism message outright in this instance, it sets up a critical teaching moment for Scout and the reader. The family’s negative reaction to Atticus’s decision exposes their prejudice, which Atticus uses as an opportunity to teach Scout important moral lessons.

Uncle Jack’s response to Francis further reinforces Lee’s message. The line, “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”, reveals to Scout that Francis’s words were wrong. By showing both the family’s racist reaction and Uncle Jack’s disapproval of it, Lee emphasizes her anti-racism stance. While the scene is detailed, the clarity and impact of Lee’s message resonate through these pivotal moments, effectively shaping the novel's tone and underscoring the rejection of racism.

The profound impact of Mr. Dolphus Raymond

Another character Harper Lee uses to express her anti-racism message is Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Although his role in the novel is brief, his significance is profound. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a white man married to a black woman with mixed children, a choice that subjects him to discrimination. To shield his family and avoid judgment, he pretends to be perpetually drunk.

He stands out as one of the few nonracist characters in the book, evident when he says, “Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too.” This powerful quote directly confronts racism and uses a simple comparison to highlight its absurdity. By stating that black people are just as human as anyone else, Lee delivers her anti-racism message clearly and effectively. This moment also deepens the reader’s understanding of Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s character and his quiet defiance of societal norms.

Following this, another crucial quote further reinforces Lee’s theme. Atticus tells Scout, “Cheatin’ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man.” This line underscores the novel’s moral lesson while also emphasizing Atticus’s role as a teacher of values. By explaining the importance of treating all people with fairness and dignity, Atticus imparts what is right and wrong to Scout, which mirrors Lee’s perspective. Through Atticus’s words, Lee directly communicates her belief in equality and justice.

Together, these moments illustrate Lee’s anti-racism stance while developing Scout’s understanding of morality. Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s actions and Atticus’s teachings are pivotal examples of Lee’s message, highlighting the importance of rejecting prejudice and embracing humanity.

Merging two worlds

Dolphus Raymond is significant in the context of the novel, not because of his actions or their outcomes but because he facilitates a smooth transition to the key message of the work. People are people regardless of their skin color, gender, social status, or education. The 1930s feel so close to us that we often fail to grasp how dark those times were. Yes, slavery had been abolished long before, and people of color finally had a chance to break free from their former owners. But society was far from ready for a swift transformation.

Unlike modern realities, people back then were deeply chauvinistic and racist. There were numerous cases where Black individuals were refused service in stores, denied prestigious jobs, and subjected to segregation norms that seem absurd today. Dolphus Raymond is the perfect character to illustrate how baseless the hatred toward former slaves truly was.

Harper Lee’s message was to make the reader think. Why doesn’t the reader like people of color? Is it simply because they were forcibly brought to work on plantations by someone? Are they to blame for being born with differences? Does that mean they should be treated worse than animals? Through subtle and brief cues, Harper Lee laid the groundwork for serious social change, and Dolphus Raymond was the ideal tool to deliver that.

Conclusion

Harper Lee’s central message about racism in To Kill a Mockingbird is that it is destructive and must be rejected. This theme is evident throughout the novel and reflected in various characters' thoughts, feelings, and actions. Lee highlights her message by illustrating the town’s negative reactions to individuals who challenge racist norms. Lee exposes the narrow-mindedness of such views by showcasing how others perceive nonracist behavior.

Through these portrayals, Lee effectively demonstrates the consequences of prejudice and the importance of standing against it. Through figures like Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Lee emphasizes her anti-racism message by using the responses and actions of those in Maycomb to reveal the damaging effects of racism on society.