Do not judge a book by its cover is the advice many people get. It is sound advice; one cannot determine the quality of the novel from the pretty picture on the front. However many of us ignore this and just use the outward appearance of the book to judge the story inside. What we do to books, we also do to people. Many of us judge people by first impressions, rumors or outward appearances without actually learning about them, and a six-year old Scout Finch is no exception. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout makes assumptions about many of the characters in Maycomb, but through her experiences she realizes that the majority of these perceptions are incorrect.
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is introduced to this novel described by Scout …show more content…
He drinks constantly, prefers the company of blacks to whites and has mixed children; however after Scout meets Mr. Raymond in person, she understands that many of the things the people in Maycomb believe about him are inaccurate. When Scout first sees Mr. Raymond, Jem explains to her that he was engaged but the wife committed suicide “because she found out about his colored woman, he reckoned he could keep her and get married too. He's been sorta drunk ever since." (215). Scout believes that Mr. Raymond is constantly intoxicated and is a sinful man since he has mixed children. She does not even consider that the stories and rumors about him are even slightly exaggerated. However after Scout takes Dill outside of the court room, she and Dill see him leaning against a tree and he explains “I try to give 'em a reason, you see... folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey--that's why he won't change his ways... that's why he lives the way he does."(268). Mr. Raymond incriminates himself by always pretending to be drunk, but he is able to outwit the strict social structure of Maycomb. This goes against Scout’s first assumptions about him. She initially thought he was a drunk who liked blacks more than whites, but he is really a man who prefers the company of African-Americans to the many racist white citizens of
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is introduced to this novel described by Scout …show more content…
He drinks constantly, prefers the company of blacks to whites and has mixed children; however after Scout meets Mr. Raymond in person, she understands that many of the things the people in Maycomb believe about him are inaccurate. When Scout first sees Mr. Raymond, Jem explains to her that he was engaged but the wife committed suicide “because she found out about his colored woman, he reckoned he could keep her and get married too. He's been sorta drunk ever since." (215). Scout believes that Mr. Raymond is constantly intoxicated and is a sinful man since he has mixed children. She does not even consider that the stories and rumors about him are even slightly exaggerated. However after Scout takes Dill outside of the court room, she and Dill see him leaning against a tree and he explains “I try to give 'em a reason, you see... folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey--that's why he won't change his ways... that's why he lives the way he does."(268). Mr. Raymond incriminates himself by always pretending to be drunk, but he is able to outwit the strict social structure of Maycomb. This goes against Scout’s first assumptions about him. She initially thought he was a drunk who liked blacks more than whites, but he is really a man who prefers the company of African-Americans to the many racist white citizens of