Scout and Dill learn that Mr. Dolphus Raymond is not the crazy, disgraced man he’s made out to be. Scout, at the beginning, clearly has a bit of distrust for him when they first meet him face-to-face, outside the courthouse. “As Mr. Dolphus Raymond was an evil man I accepted his invitation reluctantly…” (267). Scout is speaking from what the rest of society thinks of Mr. Raymond; as a heavy drinker whose mind was twisted by the alcohol, which supposedly made him dwell around African-Americans more than his own kind. This concept is very far-out in the time of the novel. The way Scout sees it, if Dolphus thinks this way, who knows what other crazy things he might think? This is confirmed for her when he offers Dill a sip of his supposed “whiskey.” However, Scout and Dill discover his secret when Dill takes a sip. Scout is the first to see this, and then Mr. Raymond replies. “‘You mean all you drink in that sack’s Coca-Cola?... then you just pretend you’re half-?... ‘Some folks don’t - like the way I live… folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey - that’s why he won’t change his ways… they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live’” (268). Scout and Dill see now that Mr. Raymond uses the “whiskey” as an excuse for his way of life, though he is never actually drunk. In terms of his character, this shows that he doesn’t have much outright courage. Though it does take courage to hang around the people he loves, considering those people are those of a different, “inferior” race, he hides behind the whiskey while doing it. He doesn’t have enough courage to show his true face to the world, to speak his opinion and have it truly be his own, not the whiskey’s. Inside, though, he does very strongly believe in African-American rights and true equality. He speaks to Dill and Scout about how a man develops a skin against the injustice he sees, though he still sees it as wrong. He is clearly hurt by the treatment of African-Americans he sees. Still, he uses something to blame it on, so he doesn’t quite have to deal with the effects of his actions himself. A huge part of courage is honesty; being courageous enough to reveal the entire truth about yourself, or whatever you stand for, and not backing down on that. However, he does still make a sacrifice; he is seen as a crazy man, and is distrusted by the community, all for the sake of being a part of what he believes are his people.
What would happen to Mr. Raymond if he revealed, to the town, what he’s been doing all along? Is the reputation he has as a drinker and madman better than the one of a supporter of African-Americans? What other characters in the book hide behind certain things in order to escape judgement or anything of the sort? Do you think Dolphus is distrusted by the African-Americans at all?
The reason Dolphus Raymond acts like he is a drinker is to give people a reason to hold on to. People would be very confused if there was no explanation to an interracial marriage. I think being a drinker in this time is a better reputation than being interracial because whites and African Americans were so segregated that it was almost a crime to be with the opposite race. I think that the African American community likes Dolphus because they see he is actually a good person. Dolphus is just faking to drink to be with the people he loves.
ReplyDeleteMr. Dolphus Raymond acts drunk to hold the order of the town together. The town is not open to change, but interracial marriage would throw the entire town for a loop. if he has a twisted mind, the town can hold on to their blanket of security, and not move forward into the future. He is a very good person for bearing the slander of the townsfolk for their sakes, and I think they should be nicer.
ReplyDeleteDolphus Raymond is known in the town for being a drunk. He always carries around a brown paper bag with what is actually coca cola but everyone believes is whiskey. He does this to give them a simple reason for his odd behavior (being extremely kind toward black people). Mr. Raymond believes it is easier for people to think he is a drunk then to know his oddness isn't an outcome of being drunk it is just who he is.
ReplyDeleteDolphus Raymond is known in the town for being a drunk. He always carries around a brown paper bag with what is actually coca cola but everyone believes is whiskey. He does this to give them a simple reason for his odd behavior (being extremely kind toward black people). Mr. Raymond believes it is easier for people to think he is a drunk then to know his oddness isn't an outcome of being drunk it is just who he is.
ReplyDeleteI think Mr. Raymond would maybe lose some stereotypes. He is known to be an average drunk middle-aged white man that is quite crazy however. Revealing to the town that his supposed whiskey was just non-alcoholic coca cola would make people think he was a little less stereotypical, however a little more crazy. This is because it would be weird for someone to fake something so big about what people know about you just to fit in.
ReplyDeleteI think that if people knew that Mr.Raymond wasn't a drunk his whole reputation would be destroyed. The people of Maycomb County don't hate Mr. Raymond because they think he only likes black people since he is a drunk, so if people found out he was never actually drunk the whole white community would turn against him just like they turned against Atticus. Also, I think Mr. Ewell is using this trial to cover up for Mayella having sympathy for black people because he knows that if the community found out about her and Tom Robinson his whole family would get judged.
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ReplyDeleteMr. Raymond pretends to be a crazy drunk man because he knows that the people of Maycomb would never accept it if a white man from a good family enjoyed hanging out with black people better than white people. Saying and assuming that Mr Raymond is always drunk, would give the people a reason for why he would chose to spend time with people with different colored skin. Mr. Raymond is a good person. He sent his black kids to the north where people treat blacks better than the south. Scout and Dill understand that he is kind and not different from them even though he enjoys the company of blacks more than whites.