Charles Baker Harris Character Analysis

'I'm Charles Baker Harris...I can read.' (Lee 8)
With this brief introduction, the lives of Scout and Jem Finch are forever changed. Charles Baker Harris, otherwise known as 'Dill,' becomes a fixture of Scout and Jem's summertime adventures, helping them get into and out of all sorts of trouble. Scout describes him as a 'curiosity': “He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt, his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duckfluff; he was a year my senior but I towered over him. As he told us the old tale his blue eyes would lighten and darken; his laugh was sudden and happy; he habitually pulled at a cowlick in the center of his forehead” (Lee 9). In the eyes of Scout and Jem, Dill is very worldly, or at least more wordly than

Although Dill's tall tales and imagination get him into trouble with Scout and Jem--after all, no one likes a liar--he also puts this talent to good use. Scout and Jem look to Dill for inspiration for their various adventures and plays that help them pass the hours during the long summer days. One of Dill's greatest sources of inspiration is the Radley house. Dill's fascination with Boo Radley leads the trio into all sorts of trouble. Luckily, Dill is quick on his feet and is able to save himself and his friends from punishment. When confronted about the children’s believed meddling on the Radley property, he lies easily, telling Atticus and his aunt, ‘We were playin' strip poker up yonder by the fish pool.’ His white lie still elicits a scolding, but not the type of punishment they would have gotten if they'd been discovered sneaking around the Radley place! Dill seems like a static character, just a young kid with a creative imagination. But because he is only with the Finches in the summers, we are not privy to how much he develops. When he comes to Maycomb, the kids play and that is mostly what we see with Dill. He is truly nothing more than a playmate to Scout and Jem which is