1. Beliefs and Values
1.1. Good Fun
1.1.1. Pg 8:"He played the character parts formerly thrust upon me - the ape in Tarzan, ms Crabtree in The Rover Boys, Mr Damon in Tom Swift."
1.1.1.1. Dill loves to have a bit of fun, and he definitely values having some fun with his friends.
1.2. What is right
1.2.1. Pg 216:"That old Mr Glimmer doin' him thataway, talking so hateful to him"
1.2.1.1. Dill is a good person that believes in being nice to everyone. Because of his core values he is upset by the way that Mr Glimmer treats other people.
1.3. Family
1.3.1. Pg 143:"Mr Finch, don't tell Aunt Rachel, don't make me go back, please sir! I'll run off again - !"
1.3.1.1. Dill wants a successful life with his own family, but he can't seem to find it, so he decides that he wants to spend time with the Finch family instead.
1.4. Friendship
1.4.1. Pg 156-157: "…I was punched awake, the room was dim with the light setting of the moon. 'move over Scout…' … 'I just wanted to sleep with you. Are you waked up?"
1.4.1.1. This quote reveals how close Dill and Scout are. Even after Dill was found hiding under her bed after 'escaping' she still lets him sleep in her bed and they talk about what had happened and discuss Boo Radley. This is a turning point for Scout as until now she believes that parents are annoying and you need a lot of time away from them otherwise they would not let you do or get away with anything but Dill teaches her that parents are a good thing to have as you will always have a place to call home. He then links the message to Boo Radley's situation as he says "… Maybe he doesn't have anywhere to run off to."
2. Looks Like
2.1. Small
2.1.1. Pg 7:"'How old are you,' asked Jem, 'four and a half?'"
2.1.1.1. This quote is referring to Dill's height for his age. He is very small.
2.2. Clothing
2.2.1. Pg 8:"He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt," his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duck fluff."
2.2.1.1. This little quote describes Dill's appearance quite well. He is well dressed and neat
2.3. Physical Appearance
2.3.1. Pg 8:" his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duck fluff."
2.3.1.1. Dill has very white hair and this quote helps to paint the picture of a small and cute Dill
3. Acts Like
3.1. Confidence
3.1.1. Pg 7:"'Hey'"
3.1.1.1. Dill is very confident for his size, and that is represented in the simple way that he says hi to Jem and Scout, 2 complete strangers before they say hello to him indicates that he is a confident boy.
3.2. Liar Pg
3.2.1. 51:"Dill Harris could tell the biggest ones I ever heard."
3.2.1.1. Dill is known to be a bit of a liar, as he is trying to make his life sound more fun than it is.
3.3. Superiority
3.3.1. Pg 14:"'Your scared,' Dill said, the first day."
3.3.1.1. Even though Dill is very small, he sometimes acts like he is much bigger.
4. Motivated by
4.1. Love
4.1.1. Pg 45:"He had asked me earlier in the summer to marry him"
4.1.1.1. Dill very much likes Scout and is Motivated by being around her
4.2. Friendship
4.2.1. Pg 14:"You gonna run out on a dare?"
4.2.1.1. Jem and Dill have lots of fun over the summers and they motivate each other to do sometimes silly things, like touching the Radley house as told on page 14
4.3. Acceptance
4.3.1. Pg 7-8:"I just thought you'd like to know I can read. You got anything needs readin' I can do it…" aswell as "…Jem told me to hush, a sure sign that Dill had been studied and found acceptable."
4.3.1.1. All dill wants is to be accepted and loved by his parents, the Finch family and the town of Maycomb. One of his ways to try to get people to like him is by telling lies. Dill does end up being accepted by the Finch family and becomes best friends with Scout and Jem but he does get in to a bit of trouble for telling phibs.
5. Textual issues or concerns linked with this character
5.1. Father
5.1.1. Pg 8:" I asked Dill where is father was:'You ain't said anything about him.''I haven't got one.''Is he dead?''No.'"
5.1.1.1. Dill doesn't' know where his father is. He left when he was very little.
5.2. Swimming
5.2.1. Pg 248:"Jem had discovered with angry amazement that nobody had ever bothered to teach Dill how to swim."
5.2.1.1. Dill was never taught how to swim, so Jem went and taught him in Barker's Eddy.
5.3. Mum
5.3.1. Pg 155:"That wasn't it, he-they just wasn't that interested in me."
5.3.1.1. Dill is rejected by his mother and stepfather so he leaves and comes back to Maycomb
5.4. Fairness
5.4.1. Pg 219:"Cry about the simple hell people give other people - without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give coloured folk, without even stopping to think that they're people, too."
5.4.1.1. This quote is from when Dolphus Raymond is telling the children about what people are like to each other. Dill is upset with the way that Mr Ewell's lawyer; Mr Glimmer is acting towards Tom Robinson, and Dolphus tells him how the world is.
6. How others see him
6.1. Literate
6.1.1. Pg 7:"I'm Charles Barker Harris,' he said. 'I can read.'"
6.1.1.1. For Dill it was importtant for him to state that he can read, and after that people knew that he could read.
6.2. Liar
6.2.1. Pg 152:"Dill recited his narrative"
6.2.1.1. Dill tells Scout and Jem about his "confinement to the basement" on this page. Another brilliant lie.
6.3. Quiet
6.3.1. Pg 169:"'Can I carry it for you Mr Finch?' asked Dill. He had not said a word the whole time."
6.3.1.1. Even though Dill can be confident, he can also be quiet in situations that he doesn't like.