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To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

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What is Dolphus Raymond's view of black and white relationships in To Kill a Mockingbird?

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Of all of Maycomb's white citizens, Dolphus Raymond respects African Americans more than anyone else. In fact, he prefers living and socializing with them over white people. He lives with a black mistress and has a number of "mixed children." He enjoys playing his little game with the bottle in the paper sack to let the white townspeople think he is a drunkard. Like Miss Maudie, Dolphus chooses not to watch the "circus" that takes place inside the courtroom. He becomes emotional when talking with Dill and Scout about the treatment of black people by white society, and he understands why Dill became sick to his stomach and cries after watching the prosecutor's treatment of Tom Robinson. He cries

"... about the simple hell people give other people... about the hell white people give colored folks without stopping to think that they're people, too."  (Chapter 20)

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