Dill is a very important character in the novel ‘to kill a mockingbird’. He is used to explore many different themes. Dill is a close friend of Jem and Scout’s and represents the childhood innocence that Maycomb lacks. He is also important, as he is an outsider of Maycomb and so we can see Maycomb from a different point of view. Dill is a crucial character to the story’s development.
Dill represents childhood innocence. He brings adventure and exploration into Scout and Jem’s life and has a childish imagination. He exaggerates and makes everything more exciting for the children. The children form a close bond with him as a result and this purity plays a big part in his importance as we see how Dill reacts to situations in his innocence, as opposed to the rest of Maycomb, who do not question many things that Dill sees differently.
Dill is important in the exploration of a main theme, families. He helps the children appreciate the relationship of Jem and Scout and their father, Atticus. He is an important reminder to the children that families are not always there to support you and is a contrast to the happy family of Atticus, Jem and Scout. Dills family also shows that life is very rarely perfect, even if it may seem like it is from the outside, as Dill seems happy and care-free, when actually he is labored by a secret that he cannot forget about and is at first ashamed by. “Dill blushed and Jem told me to hush” is what happens when Scout asks Dill about his father.
Dill being an outsider in Maycomb makes him a very useful character. While the rest of Maycomb are used to Maycomb’s ways, Dill is not used to the prejudices and social classes of the south. Dill has no prejudices and is shocked and upset when he sees the racial divide and the whites treatment of Negro’s. “For some reason Dill had started crying and couldn’t stop” is how Dill reacts to Mr Gilmers treatment of Tom. Dill is an insight to the views of...