Keyword Guide · study-guide
Dolphus Raymond’s appearance in Chapter 16 offers insight into Maycomb’s social rules and hypocrisy. This guide explains who he is, why he matters in the chapter, and how to use his role for exams and essays.
Dolphus Raymond is a white man who lives outside Maycomb’s strict racial norms. He openly associates with Black community members and has a mixed-race family. Because this challenges local expectations, townspeople view him as an outsider.
In Chapter 16, Scout and Dill encounter Dolphus Raymond near the courthouse. He appears to be drinking from a paper sack and speaks candidly with the children. His calm honesty contrasts with the tension surrounding the trial.
Dolphus Raymond admits he lets people believe he is drunk. This gives the town a simple excuse for his behavior and makes his choices easier for others to dismiss. It reveals how society prefers comfortable explanations over confronting prejudice.
Dolphus Raymond represents moral independence and social hypocrisy. His paper sack symbolizes the lies people accept to avoid change. In Chapter 16, he helps readers see how adults maintain unjust systems while claiming innocence.
He provides a clear example of how Maycomb explains away behavior that challenges racial norms, reinforcing the novel’s themes of prejudice and denial.
No. He pretends to drink alcohol so the town can rationalize his lifestyle without questioning its own beliefs.
Connect him to themes like hypocrisy, social conformity, and moral courage. Use his actions in Chapter 16 to support claims about Maycomb’s values.
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