# Raymie Wutherspoon — Main Street character guide > Raymie Wutherspoon in Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Raymie, Only Raymie, Major Raymond Wutherspoon **First appearance:** 0016-iii ## Snapshot A gentle, apologetic clerk at Haydock's shoe store whose quiet decency and secret ambitions slowly win him Vida Sherwin's hand. ## Who they are Raymie Wutherspoon is the town's most unassuming man, a soft-spoken salesman who fusses over window displays and apologizes for existing. Under Vida Sherwin's encouragement he begins to imagine himself as a figure of authority — even a major — and his halting self-assertion becomes one of the novel's quiet comedies. His courtship of Vida offers a rare glimpse of tenderness and mutual respect in a town that mostly trades in judgment. ## Relationships ### [Carol Kennicott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/carol_kennicott) _social_ Raymie is a timid, effeminate clerk who admires Carol from afar and becomes a pathetic figure in her attempts to bring culture to the town. ### [Carol Kennicott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/carol_kennicott) _social_ Raymie is a timid, effeminate clerk who admires Carol from afar and becomes a pathetic figure in her attempts to bring culture to the town. ### [Carol Kennicott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/carol_kennicott) _social_ Raymie is a timid, effeminate clerk who admires Carol from afar and becomes a pathetic figure in her attempts to bring culture to the town. ## In the story ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned by Kennicott as a singer and not 'such an awful boob,' part of the local social fabric. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Raymie is a bachelor shoe salesman who prides himself on cultural pursuits like poetry and movies, but reveals a narrow, censorious attitude toward literature and art. ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Also comments on the redecorating, highlighting the town's collective attention. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Sings at the party after being urged by Carol and Vida. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned in passing by Vida as having commented on her energy. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ix) Takes a leading role in the play, displaying earnest but clumsy acting. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Raymie Wutherspoon shows Carol patent leather slippers and recalls their talks at Mrs. Gurrey's. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xi) Eagerly takes a role in the play, embodying the town's earnest but limited artistic sensibilities. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xii) Plays a role in the production, embodying the town's earnest but unpolished theatrical efforts. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xvii) Takes a leading role in the play and delivers a memorably bad performance. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xviii) Plays the lead role in the play, delivering a wooden performance that contributes to the production's failure. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Opposes Shaw as improper and recommends the clean play 'His Mother's Heart.' ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Surprisingly good as the villain, but later loses focus and tries vaudeville antics. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) A year younger than Vida, he shares her views on art and practicality, and confides his frustrations about the Bon Ton store and his desire for a partnership. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Raymie seeks Vida's advice on window-trimming, clothes, and assertiveness; he practices glaring but is mocked by Harry Haydock. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Accompanies Vida to Dyer's and pursues her when she tries to leave, ultimately leading to their marriage. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/v) Marries Vida, becomes a one-sixth partner in the Bon Ton, gains confidence and masculine poise. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Raymie is out of town with Kennicott for a Spartan order event, allowing Carol and Vida to talk privately. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/v) Discussed as having an essentially religious soul and potential as a rector. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Enlists in officers' training camp, becomes a first lieutenant, and is sent abroad. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Raymie writes from France about being sent to the front, slightly wounded, and made a captain. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Returns as Major Wutherspoon, gassed but recovering; soon becomes plain Raymie again. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/raymie_wutherspoon - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters