Family expectations can often bring a lot of pressure; luckly good friendships can relieve some of that pressure. In Jeff Zentner’s novel The Serpent King, Dill Early, the main character, struggles with his family’s expectations, but fortunately has two supportive friends, who make him see what he is really worth. The reality of the pressures Dill’s family places upon him is soothed by the solid presence of his best friends.
Friendships can save a person when they feel like they have nothing left. After Travis's death, Dill descends into deep depression. Lydia is incredibly worried about Dill, especially about him possibly killing himself. She tells him “You know how bad you hurt right now. I would feel that times a hundred times a million if anything happened to you” (Zentner 291). If Dill would have slipped away, Lydia would have felt awful that she couldn't save her friend that desperately needed her strength. Friendship makes a major impact in people's lives, especially in a case like this. Dill's friendship with Lydia is so important to him, that he was willing to stay alive and fight for it. Having a
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Before going off to college Dill went to prison to see his Dad one last time. After Dill realized that he needed a clean start to have a better future he decided to tell his father. Dill has finally escaped the chains of his father when he says, “I’m going to college. I am going to have a better life than this. That's all there is to explain” (Zentner 362). When Dill stepped up to his father he changed his life by making it real clear that he was going to have a future that he was proud of. His father felt betrayed because he isn’t following the serpent king path and is not following god's laws.His father tries to make Dill feel selfish for abandoning his mother and leaving his family behind. Without Dill taking these big first steps his family would continue dragging him down with
Charles Baker Harris, otherwise known as Dill, is characterized by his empathy and compassion. At many points in Lee’s novel, Dill shows immense empathy for the people around him. One of the most
Dills empathy matures as he faces all the injustices in the book. Dills curiosity overrides his thoughts in the beginning of the book. Jem, Scout, and Dill all want to see Arthur Radley on their next door neighbor. Arthur stabbed his father in the leg and was place in the courthouse basement. The sheriff told Mr. Radley that Arthur would die in the basement from all the mold and asbestos.
But as dill was going through a depressive stage after Travis's death Lydia decided to go to his house for the first time and check on him. Upon entering Dill’s house for the first time she immediately judges Dill for his rundown, hostile home instead of being understanding and having empathy for him. Her privilege should not affect her empathy for others. She should be more supportive knowing most people don't have it as good as her. As soon as Lydia walks in she states “A puff of air smelling of mildewed carpet and stale bread hit her nostrils...
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Dill can be best described as the everyman archetype because he provides a sense of comfort and comedic relief to the reader. Charles Baker Harris, better known as Dill to the reader, is introduced almost immediately in the book. He is the best friend of Jem and Scout and assists them in their ridiculous shenanigans of childhood. One important event he was in attendance for happened to be the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man, versus Mayella Ewell, a white woman. He, and many others, were quite outraged by the outcome of the trial.
Dill sees the significance of his lies, and how they affected different
Despite being beaten, starved, and abused, Turner and Elwood became unlikely friends. Turner came to Nickel from an unstable family with a bleak outlook on life, but things changed for the better after he met Elwood. At the beginning of the novel, Turner is close-minded and pessimistic toward the world, but after meeting Elwood eventually grows to realize the importance of advocating for change and being a good person, which illustrates friendship can influence others to change themselves for the
Dill claims that he was abandoned by his parents because they didn’t pay much attention to him since they met: “‘The thing is, what I’m tryin’ to say is-they do get on a lot better without me, I can’t help them any. They ain’t mean. They buy me everything I want, but it’s now you’ve-got-it-go-play-with-it. You’ve got a roomful of things. I-got-you-that-book-so-go-read-it’”
Johnny was the only person that Dally had ever cared for, because all of his life he struggled and became ‘tough’ early on, thus reinforcing the idea that he should only care about himself. Someone blinded by their past like Dally would have trouble truly loving someone, but when it comes to one's family, one truly can. That means Johnny is like family to Dally. Above all, Dally loved Johnny and was upset when Johnny died to the point he was so heartbroken, that he decided to take his life. That is what true loyalty is, even if they are not
Friends and family. Two game-changing terms in the impeccable novel “A Monster Calls” By Patrick Ness which uses (insert language techniques here) Patrick Ness demonstrates the theme of complex family dynamics throughout the novel, accommodating the message “family should always be there for you” Complex family dynamics are thoroughly elucidated in these quotes ″ ‘Son,’ his father said, leaning forward. ‘Stories don’t always have happy endings.’ ” In The words “don't always have happy endings” the quote shows euphemistic language as Connors's Father explains that his mum may not make it out alive.
He realizes that not everyone is morally just and that people often only see skin deep. Before the trial, Dill thought that everybody was treated equally and politely, but when exposed to the black community and how they were treated by the white people, his innocence to racism rapidly faded to shreds. Experience taught him that racism is an awful and grim occurrence in our society that would most likely never go
This unit is soon demolished as Dill finds out that his new family don’t take care of him as much as a family should;but they still kiss him and say goodnight but other than that they basically just throw him aside as if they don’t have a responsibility to deal with other than the original tasks of
Dill’s character brings out the playful innocence by his exaggerations and stories. “Dill recited this narrative” (Lee 186) about him being “bound in chains and left to die” (Lee 186) by his hateful stepfather. Because of this, he ran away to Maycomb and hid under Scout’s bed before being discovered. In actuality, he believed that his parents neglected him and he was upset. Being at the age of about seven, Dill had to have got on a train and walked many miles to reach his destination.
These emotions began to impact him a lot, because of his family that didn’t care about him and he felt emtheticness from it. The trail was a big part for Dill. " I know all that, Scout. It was the way he said it made me sick,"(Lee, Pg 99) Dill said. This affection began to shape Dill to the person
All of the main characters fight for friendship even if they do so in different ways and for different reasons. All of them feel in need of someone to talk to if it is about science, about what horrible things one has done or about being different and alone. Another feature is the loss of friendship in all cases. Victor loses his friends to death, and so does Walton while the creature never really “fulfilled his dream of being anyone’s true friend” (Jeray 69). This way the novel not only shows the importance of friendship and having companions but also the possible consequences of either being rejected by everyone or of losing beloved people partly even due to own
Darl’s actions, although a crime, were done for a heroic reason; to end the extensive quest. He endangers himself to allow Addie to rest peacefully after the plethora of merciless obstacles they have