How Does Dill Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

Improved Essays
The world is not fair. In To Kill a Mockingbird, we see Scout Finch struggling to cope with this realization. She witnesses the false conviction of a Black man her father is defending. As Scout grows up, she sees that Maycomb is a town full of prejudice and racism and has trouble understanding why the world is this way. Set in the South of America in the 1930’s, Scout describes her feelings as she exposed to the real world that was hidden from her when she was a child. The three main characters, Dill Harris, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley represent mockingbirds, prejudiced against because of their innocence.
Dill is a character that does mature through the story as Jem and Scout do, he remains his childlike ways throughout the book, staying positive and cheerful. When Scout first meets Dill she immediately notices his peculiar appearance, she describes, “His hair was snow white and stuck to
…show more content…
Tom is an honest man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Even though Tom is a colored man, he pities Mayella, who is White. He frequently helps her with chores around her house knowing her father is abusive and drunk, however on the witness stand he makes the mistake of saying he feel sorry for her. He quickly realizes what he said wrong, knowing that a Black man should be worse off than a White woman. The jury starts to shake their heads, as Tom attempts to take it back, “I don’t say she’s lyin’, Mr. Gilmer, I say she’s mistaken in her mind” (Lee 67). The jury clearly reacts negatively to this because in Maycomb an honest Black man’s word against a White man has no credibility. The jury is not swayed by Atticus's attempts to take back his statement hence Tom is accused of rape without a “fair” hearing. Tom understands the people of Maycomb and tries to escape knowing that he would not make it. When he runs, he is shot seventeen times. In the guard's eyes, he was just another Black man that was better off

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Finch Stereotypes

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the small town of Maycomb, Mississippi, the issues of racism, prejudice, and stereotypes are prominent in the lives of many characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The main characters Scout and Jem are the children of Atticus Finch a well esteemed lawyer with an admirable heart, unlike most of the unjust white men in the story. Jem, Scout, and their close friend Dill are full of curiosity, vigor, and credulity; they are often found scouting out the Radley Place in search of the Boo Radley, who is quite vicious and psychotic, according to local stories and stereotypes. During the summer, the children try leaving notes, attempt to sneak a peek into the Radley place, and even create a game based off of the manic stories of Boo, but each attempt is to no avail and results in chiding from Atticus for…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Lack of Morals “Jem, how can [Mrs. Gates] hate hitler so bad an’ then turn around to be ugly about folks right here at home-” (331). Scout is wondering how her teacher and the rest of the town of Maycomb can hate hitler for persecuting people, while they themselves are oblivious that they are persecuting african americans. Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” follows a young girl named Scout Finch and her brother Jem Finch. They live in a small, fictional, racist town by the name of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout’s father Atticus is a lawyer who is appointed to a case to defend a african american man by the name of Tom Robinson.…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    When i first saw Dill i thought he was a baby because of his size and clothes. After jem and i talked to dill we both realized he was not a baby, but our age. After that summer dill came to maycomb every summer. We fell in love and he promised me he would marry me. We would kiss sometimes when jem wasn’t looking.…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even knowing that by defending Tom he could put his entire future and reputation at risk Atticus courageously sticks by his decision. Atticus has countless people apologizing that he has to defend Tom. For the simple fact that Tom Robinson is black. The people of Maycomb can 't seem to believe it when Atticus says that he actually does think that Tom is innocent. Although he loses respect of many he only worries about the respect of the people that he actually cares for; his children.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, tells a tale about a small town that undergo significant changes due to a court case involving a color folk that was accused of raping and beating a white women by the name of Mayella. Scout Finch and Jem Finch live in the small town of Maycomb with their father Atticus Finch, who will be defending Tom Robertson, the black man, in court. Atticus has raises his kids to be open minded and understand that one race should not be treated differently because the color of their skin. However, Dill, Scout and Jem’s friend, is a counterexample of Atticus’ teaching. Dill grew up in a different household that neglected him which influences Dill’s view point of the world and his ability to be opened minded.…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Before the story has begun, the African American is already accused of raping a white, nineteen year old Mayella Ewell. Many townspeople of Maycomb believe that Robinson is not responsible for his crime because he is a hard-working and well-respected man. On the other hand, they disrespect and distrust the prosecutor, Mayella Ewell, because she belongs to a poor, disgraceful “white trash” family who lives by the town’s dump. The second evidence that proves Tom Robinson’s innocence is found in Mr. Ewell’s testimony on the rape. Mr. Ewell, Mayella’s father and one of the witnesses of the incident, tells Atticus, the lawyer of Tom Robinson, that he does not call a doctor for Mayella on that day.…

    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After Atticus is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, the people of Maycomb show prejudice towards him. Atticus wants to provide Tom Robinson with a proper defense. The townspeople disagree with this and do not think that a black person should be given a proper defense, but Atticus does not care because he does not believe in racism or prejudice, he believes in equal rights. Many of the townspeople will say very mean things about Atticus. Many people do not believe that Atticus should help Tom because he is a black man, they think that black people do not deserve to be tried, that they are automatically guilty.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic tale that gives an accurate depiction of southern Alabama during the early 1930s. It capitalizes on the racism and sexism that runs rampant throughout America within the time period, and retells the stories of the citizens in a sleepy, fictional town named Maycomb. Amongst them, a young tomboy named Scout recalls her life surrounding the events of the Tom Robinson case, and how she changed throughout those four years. Throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that Scout is a dynamic, round character that progressively matures from the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, during events such as Tom Robinson’s trial, and ends with better developed qualities at the novel’s conclusion.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Many characters in the fictional town of Maycomb experience prejudice based on their race, both through obvious and subtle examples. In addition, many characters dislike racism and do not understand why people treat others unfairly. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee reveals that racism is pervasive; whether one chooses to abolish it or ignore it that shows…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The court did not see him for Tom Robinson, the kind man who tries to help people from the kindness of his heart, but for the false sins he’s been accused of. “Then you say she’s lying, boy?” “I don’t say she’s lyin‘, Mr. Gilmer, I say she’s mistaken in her mind.” Despite Tom knowing the entire courtroom quite obviously despised him, he did not hesitate at all to answer the questions. However, there is still caution in his words because he is…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a novel written by Harper Lee and is one the most well known american novels in the world. The story is written in perspective of a young girl named Scout who throughout the story loses her innocence as she sees the reality of the world. Scout lives in a small town called Maycomb. Maycomb is flawed in several ways and to distinguish some of these flaws Harper Lee uses irony. Some of these flaws include education, racism and social classes.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill are all captivated and simultaneously afraid of their neighbor, Arthur “Boo” Radley who keeps to himself, creating an aura of mystery and many whispers among the townspeople. The children are fascinated with him and try to come up with ways to see the reclusive man, but despite his gestures…

    • 2009 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Whites in the Maycomb county always assumed the colored folks are worse than them. During the trial, Atticus said, “The evil assumption that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…” (Lee 275). Tom is an innocent man, he committed no crime, but his only crime was the fact that he was born with a dark tone of his skin color. This “crime” was enough to make any colored man guilty.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    (271), and ““The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is.”” (271). In other words, the court members, and audience vote Tom as guilty, because he is black, and in Maycomb there is no way he will get a fair trial. Since the town is racist, even if Tom is innocent, he was sent to prison, because the jury is still stuck in that mindset. Not to mention, when Tom was in prison, he tried to escape, but the police shot him many times, and killed him. When Atticus came to tell everyone what happened, he said, “They fired a few shots in the air, then to kill ...…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Because of the loathing of Tom and his race face in Maycomb, he finds that he must always be vigilant and cautious when dealing with his white counterparts. Tom expresses his fear of misstepping in his testimony when he says, “... it weren’t safe for any n*gger to be in a -- fix like that.” Tom says this because he knows all too well of the racism which would immediately incriminate him in any place of law. He knows there is no chance of a black man getting an innocent ruling when the ‘victim’ is a white woman. Tom also knows that the chances of him getting out of jail are slim so he uses up the last of his courage and jumps the fence only to get shot moments later.…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics