In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the many symbols represented in the story is Charles Baker Harris, also known as Dill. He represents childhood innocence, or just human innocence in general. According to the article, Teenink,“he is an outsider to Macomb, who doesn’t know too much about the county, but wants to know why Macomb is like this and tries to fit in. His innocence is what sets off a lot of events in To Kill a Mockingbird ”(Gabriel V.). He sets Jem and Scout of into an adventure that will last the whole book. He asks about Boo Radley and that sparks the interests of the two young children. “Lets try to make him come out, I’d Like to see what he looks like.” (16) This sparks the curiosity to see what Arthur Radley look like,
“Boo”, a nickname given to him by the town , creates a scary , mysterious character in the children’s lives. Lee utilizes Boo’s name to represents the town’s fear of all things unknown. Through the given nickname, Lee shows how badly he is treated by the discriminatory town members. As a result of morbid curiosity and the adaptation of the town’s point of view, the children continue to further antagonize Arthur Radley based off factless accusations; they want to see him, not as their neighbor, but as a monster. Despite the negativity he faces, Arthur still persisted at reaching out to people, most notably the children.
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
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.
Innocent Dill “ Experience is the harsh teacher who destroys one’s innocence.” This can be said of Charles Baker Harris, better known as Dill. A young, imaginative, and thoughtful boy, Dill realizes the harsh realities of the world throughout his summers in Maycomb. Before experience teaches him the grim truths of society, Dill possesses the childlike innocence and purity all young children possess. Experience teaches him of racism, life, and the human race through the life changing summers he spends in the microcosmo Maycomb.
Every person enters this world with the same level of innocence. Whether that innocence is kept throughout one’s life depends on their specific circumstances. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a classic novel by Harper Lee, mockingbirds are symbolic of people who “don’t do one thing but sing their heart out for us” (Lee 119). In other words, mockingbirds are people who are innocent and defenseless, but their innocence is affected by the evil deeds of others. Dill Harris’s innocence is lost when he witnesses the inequality during the trial, identifying him as a mockingbird.
From Scout’s narration, readers can tell Dill is very curious and imaginative, when Scout describes him to be inquisitive in the Radleys; “The more we told Dill about the Radleys, the more he wanted to know, the longer he would stand hugging the light-pole on the corner, the more he would wonder.” (13) Lee introduces Dill as a creative and intelligent child, who is still mostly innocent to the world. Jem is also a symbol of innocence in chapter one. When Jem blindly believes Stephanie Crawfords exaggerations of Boo Radley, it shows how naive and trusting he is, and that he hasn’t been epxosed to much lies in the world. Jem is also prideful, which shows when he finally decied to touch the Radley house only when Scout “sneered at him.”
Is Scout a Reliable Narrator? In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the protagonist, who happens to be the narrator, is Scout Finch a six-year old girl who lives in Maycomb, Alabama. Since Scout is a very young child the book contains many hyperboles, or a literary device in which an author uses specific words or phrases that exaggerate and overemphasize the basic statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable effect. So is this a detriment or an asset to the book?
Characterization of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Jean Louise (Scout) Finch as the narrator. Scout is now an adult and reflects on three very crucial summers during her childhood days. When Scout is first described in the novel, she is prone to violence, labels people based on class, denigrates people, uses racist language, and is prejudice (Seidel 1). All of these things show that she is childish at the beginning of the novel.
Atticus sits down on the porch and talks to Scout about her troubles at school. He tells Scout “You can never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus challenges racism and prejudice which is brought out through his children and from this quote we, the reader, can see this. Atticus tells the children to call Boo Radley by his real name, Arthur. This forces the children to think twice about their actions towards Arthur and makes them curious about his past.
Ultimately, Dill Harris is a mockingbird because he has the innocence and goodness that only a child can
"(Lee, Pg 15) That is the beginning of Dill 's curiosity. When Dill found Jem and Scout he didn’t feel rejected.
To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis Throughout To Kill A MockingBird, by Harper Lee there are many acts of courage. This is shown in Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, and Boo Radley. Atticus shows the most courage in the book but all three of these characters show true courage in some way, shape, or form. Boo Radley showed a lot of courage, but he was not in the storyline as much as Atticus. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is defined as standing up for people and doing what’s right.
“Courage doesn 't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I’ll try again tomorrow’” - Mary Anne Radmacher. Through this quote one can see the advantages of real courage. One can really understand the true meaning of courage by reading the books To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. The book by Harper Lee is written by a 9 year old’s perspective named Scout.
In the passage Jem and Scout walk home during the dark hours,giving Bob Ewell an opportunity to stage an attack. As Bob Ewell attacks them Boo Radley rushes in to rescue Jem and Scout. After this Scout now understands what Atticus meant it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The killing of a mockingbird is much like killing the innocent. It is beyond a crime and worse than the most heinous atrocities.
I arrived at Aunt Rachel’s house for my first summer at Maycomb. When I first arrived, Aunt Rachel was very glad to see me. We ate dinner and then Aunt Rachel forced me to retreat to bed. Early the next morning I got dressed and ate breakfast until my stomach was satisfied with the meal. I went outside to relax in Aunt Rachel’s collard patch.