Analysis It is easy to criticize Mr. Dolphus Raymond as an unreal, saccharinely nonracist character. Indeed, in a temporal and geographical setting in which the white community as a whole has so little sympathy for blacks, Raymond is not only anomalous but also somewhat preposterous—it seems that even the righteous and morally upstanding Atticus might view Raymond as having breached accepted notions of social propriety. The importance of Raymond's character, however, lies in the …showed first 75 words of 653 total…

…showed last 75 words of 653 total…way. Scout is bewildered by the verdict, but, like Atticus, she is resilient and retains her positive view of the world. Her brother, like Mr. Raymond, is crushed: his dearly held illusions about justice and the law have been shattered. In a way, Jem, like Tom Robinson, is a mockingbird. While the Ewells and the forces of hatred and prejudice do not take his life, they do strip him of his childhood and youthful idealism