How Is Dill A Complex Character In To Kill A Mockingbird

As an example, many people have compared characters from To Kill a Mockingbird to real-life individuals in Lee’s hometown. Alfred “Son” Boleware Jr., a resident in Lee’s hometown was the inspiration for the character Boo Radley. Like Boo, Boleware got in trouble with the law as a teen and as a result of his misdemeanors Boleware’s father kept him in the house as a “virtual prisoner” (Haggerty 90). Both Boleware and Boo were the subject of “endless lurid gossip and speculation” (90). This is an example of how Lee used people from her life and made them into fictional characters. Furthermore, the character Dill was also based upon Truman Capote, who was Lee’s next door neighbor. “Lee was certainly influenced by Truman Capote... whom she modeled the character of Dill” (Watkin 11). A third biographical representation that is portrayed in the novel is Scout, the protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee the author of To Kill a Mockingbird used to Scout represents her childhood (18). Both Lee and Scout grew up as tomboys, experienced the same events, and ultimately grew up with the same people. The biographical details in the novel reflects the novel by making it seem like a personal memoir by Lee. Harper Lee was biographically influenced by the people in her hometown. In her novel she used townspeople she was familiar with as inspiration for the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Sumer comes around and Dill returns for more adventures. That summer Dill and Scout make plans to get married, but eventually forget. That summer Jem and Dill start to become more distant from Scout because they claim that she was becoming too girlish. So instead of playing with the boys she stays inside helps Calpurnia. In doing so, she learns and awful lot about the way that other people live.

Dill embodies the innocent search for justice in To Kill A Mockingbird. Dill's view of justice changes slightly as he grows older, but he always defends those who are oppressed.

Describe the relationship between Dill and Scout. Include how he treats her and how she reacts to his treatment. How is this treatment typical and atypical (not typical) of this setting?

Dill does not have the relationship with his parents that children deserve, thus Dill craves attention and a place he can feel home, only he does not feel at home with the people he should crave attention from. The only consistency in Dill’s life was staying with Miss Rachael during the summer. In the summer, Dill has friends he can depend on; the only relationship Dill can fully trust and accept into his life. While Dill’s parent-child relationship deteriorates, his relationship with Maycomb and its familiar face grows. Maycomb is a place where Dill has a deep connection to. Maycomb is a place to call home.

The author included the quote as a way to show a new younger perspective. This perspective is not only not as experienced in life or not as experienced in the south. The author used this in order for the reader to understand the feeling Dill received for inequality and his innocence for making situations better shines through. Dill continues his childish actions by wanting to be the first to do everything and every game. He insists to play games like these and come up with the ida to torment Boo Radley. “Dill said he ought to be first, he just got here” and already starts showing selfishness just like an impatient child at a candy store (Lee 49). In this scene Dill just made his way back from Mississippi and already wants to play again without delaying. This scene proves innocence by revealing to the readers that Dill doesn't really have any worries. All he wants to do is play around. To go off that, Dill was the one to create the youthful game of tormenting Boo Radley. The author used this example of Dill’s character in order for the reader to understand his mindset. Like a child, Dill does not fully think about what others want to do or what is best for them, but instead he quickly decides on an idea and just wants to play. Innocence is demonstrated from Dill by the way he just wants to play around like a child, question big ideas and also get sensitive and truly care about situations.

Dill, also known as Charles Baker Harris, visiting Jem and Scout Finch every summer became an expectation in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, but as summer approaches, Dill writes Scout to inform her that his plans for the season have been altered. Subsequently following an altercation between Jem and Scout in Chapter Fourteen, Scout retreats to her room for the night and believes a snake slips under her bed after being stepped on, but the so called snake reveals itself as Dill. Dill’s actions throughout the chapter aid in the indirect characterization of his character. For example, when asked about how he arrived in Maycomb, Dill tells Jem and Scout two improbable stories about an abusive new father and traveling with an animal show, as

In the beginning of the screenplay Jem and Scout meet Dill (whose real name is Charles Baker Harris) who is a 6 year old boy that seems to stretch the truth about his father. When the three of them first meet Dill says that he does not have a father, but moments later he changes what he means saying “ My daddy owns the L and N Railroad”(Foote 10). If that does not seem a little questionable towards the middle of the screenplay he changes what he says again. Dill says “... my daddy was a railroad man until he got rich. Now he flies airplanes” (Foote 47). The whole thing with him and his dad just seems like it is exaggerated or made up after this point. Most might think that he makes this up because he originally says that he does not know his father. This is very probable because after Dill says what his dad, does he almost you could say fantasizes about his dad picking him up on a train or sweeping down to

Chapter 5, of To Kill a Mockingbird started with Jem deciding it was better not to play the Radley game. Instead, he came up with a plan to make it seem they weren’t acting the Radleys and just name the characters something else. After that, Jem and Dill started to exclude Scout in any activities. Scout would instead go and talk to Miss Maudie about the Radleys. After a while, Scout went to join the boys and see what they were doing. Jem and Dill said she had to leave, but instead they let her in on their plan. Jem tried to get a note to Arthur Radley but had failed after getting caught by Atticus.

In contrast, Scout and Dill struggle with such behaviors and seem more comfortable in gender transitive roles. At the beginning of the novel Scout is an innocent, good hearted five year old child who has no experience with the evils of the world. As the book progress Scout has her first contact with evil in the form for racial prejudice.The basic development of her character is governed by the question of whether she will emerge from that contact with her conscience and optimism intact, or rather she will be bruised, hurt, or destroyed like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.

In the beginning of the novel, Dill is depicted as a stray dog by Scout’s cousin, Francis. The quote, “If uncle Atticus lets you run around with stray dogs…” (85) refers to Dill and how he gets passed around from relative to relative. This quote isn’t limited to only one explanation, it can be interpreted in various ways. It can also mean that Dill doesn’t have a real home just like a stray dog. Even though Dill didn’t directly hear Francis saying this, there is still some truth to Dill being as a stray dog. Dill doesn’t know what path he should take or where he’ll go next. This means that Dill doesn’t have the correct mindset to make his own decisions thus making him immature at the time. At this point of the novel, Dill hasn’t had a coming-to-age experience.

In the beginning of the movie, it opens up with Scout singing and drawing/coloring. The first thing I noticed was the way the audience meets Dill in the book and the movie. In the book, we meet Dill relatively late and in the movie we meet him almost as soon as the movie starts. Dill is a key character and we don’t get to see that as much as I intended too. A few

Jem, Scout, and Dill go to town and begin to observe all of the people there. When they spot Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Dill is confused by his actions. When Jem explains it, he says “‘That’s just his

He has miraculously appeared from underneath Scout’s bed and all beside Dill himself is wondering why and how. “Refreshed by food, Dill recited this narrative: having been bound in chains and left to die in the basement (they had basements in Meridian) by his new father, who disliked him” (Lee, 186). “He had taken thirteen dollars from his mother’s purse, caught the nine o’clock from Meridian and got off at Maycomb Junction” (Lee, 187). This is some much needed info for readers wondering what was going on with a boy just randomly popping out from under a bed, which is probably everyone. Combining these two quotes together, one gets the why and the how of his sudden appearance even if the first one may be a bit exaggerated. He doesn’t get along with his father and he stole some money for a bus. These flashbacks were a perfect way to give background info in just two short

As Dill was watching the trial, he started bawling about the way Mr. Gilmer was treating Tom. I was reminded of my childhood after reading this paragraph. At the age of 7, I began crying after seeing a lonely man on the sidewalk. He had nowhere to go, and everyone walked right passed him. Nevertheless, my mother said there were folks like him everywhere. Yet, people are helping those who are homeless. Thus, my situation was similar to Dill’s. Being a child, we could not comprehend the world, nor could we accept how adults treat each other with disrespect. Yet, since we were young, we could not see how corrupted and prejudice the world is. Additionally, children perceive everyone as good when they are younger. During their childhood, they never