The Importance of Dill in to Kill a Mockingbird

What is the importance of Dill in TKMB?

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 the rest of the US and not just one town. He also shows how the views across America differ and how not all of the States had the same reaction towards Negro’s.

Boo Radley is a key character in the novel as he is one of the main ‘mockingbirds’. The Children take great interest in Boo and try to ‘make him come out’. This eventually makes the children see the reality of what they do to Boo and the similarities between them and the way the town torments Tom Robinson. This teaches all the children a very valuable lesson, however Dill is the ‘spark’ that inspires and encourages Jem and Scout to make Boo come out and is the main reason why Jem and Scout have such a great interest in him. Without Dill the children would have never known Boo in the same way. “Let’s try to make him come out” says Dill to Jem and Scout.

Loneliness is a key theme in TKMB and most of the main characters experience it and have to deal with is in some way. Dill is again used to explore this as he is clearly a lonely child and Jem and Scout are his only real friends in the world who cure his loneliness. This is shown when he runs away from home and the first place that he goes to is Jem and Scout, even though he had an aunty living very near by, he felt happier with Jem and Scout, because they like and respect him and because they are of a similar age and maturity he does not feel lonely with them. “That wasn’t it, he - they just wasn’t interested in me” is what Dill tells Scout about his parents.

Courage is shown in many ways in the novel and Atticus teaches the children what real courage is, as they mistaking believe that courage has a lot to do with weapons etc. Dill shows great bravery and courage in the book when he runs away from home. This is courageous as he takes a bold leap that many children his age would not take. He gives up a safe and secure environment and risks the elements and comes all the way to Maycomb by himself, as he is not happy. “… Caught the nine o’clock from Meridian and got of at Maycomb Junction. He had walked the ten or eleven miles…”.