Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Imagine if you had a friend who came every summer to fill your head with fantastical stories, go on adventures with you, and maybe even get into a bit of trouble. For Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, Dill is the perfect friend for all those scenarios. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, Dill shows up for the first time in the summer before Scout goes to first grade. He immediately becomes best friends with Jem (Jeremy) and Scout Finch. Every summer after that, Dill goes on countless adventures and runs into far too many mishaps with his friends. 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 …show more content…

It ain’t right, somehow it ain’t right to do ‘em that way. Hasn’t anybody got any business talkin’ like that- it just makes me sick.’” (Lee, 199) Many people pass off feeling guilty for Tom just like Scout, but Dill never did. In another conversation with Scout, Dill shows his empathetic side again. They were talking about Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Dill comes to a revelation. “‘Why do you reckon Boo Radley’s never run …show more content…

In Dill’s first summer in Maycomb, Jem tells him the story of Boo Radley. Dill becomes very curious of the monster that Jem describes, and Dill decides that they should get Boo to come out of his house. They try many different tactics, but each time they are reprimanded by Atticus when they get caught. It’s not until much later in the book that they all learn why they should just leave Boo alone. During Dill’s second summer of the novel, Dill runs away from home because he misses Scout. He tries to hide under the bed, but you can imagine how that went. “Suddenly a filthy brown package shot from under the bed. Jem raised the broom and missed Dill’s head by an inch when it appeared.” (Lee, 139) After all that ruckus Atticus came into the room and started to sort out how to handle the situation. At the end of the evening, it was decided that Dill could stay in Maycomb and stay with the Finch family until the next day. Dill went to bed with Scout, and they started to have an adorable conversation with each other. “....‘-Scout, let's get us a