Dill has not yet been brought up into racism, therefore the way which Mr. Gilmer treats Tom Robinson during the questioning is absolutely sickening for him. During the trial, Jem notices that “Dill had started crying and couldn’t stop”(Lee 265). When Scout takes him outside, Dill explains why he was so upset. “That old Mr. Gilmer doin’ him (Tom Robinson) thataway, talking so hateful to him” (Lee 265). And when Scout mentions that Tom is a ‘negro’, Dill replies with “I don’t care one speck” (Lee 266). This just shows how naive Dill is. He does not judge people by their skin colour. Dill’s innocence can be both a disadvantage as well as an asset. This is one of the things which Atticus was referring to when he said that “maybe we need a police for full of children” (Lee 210). Although Dill has had less experience with the world and human behavior, he has also had less experience with unfair bias and the stereotypes which influence most adults, making his decisions less biased and more true to events.
I agree with what Veronica said, Dill hasn't been exposed to the racism that Scout and Jem have. Dill is shocked how Mr. Gilmer is treating Tom Robinson and doesn't understand that that's how black people are treated in Maycomb. Scout and Jem know inequality is at every corner in Maycomb and throughout the south, so they don't notice when black people are treated differently. For example, they hear racism in their own family, when cousin Francis is exlpaining his views on Atticus taking Tom Robinson's trial "now he's truned out to be a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He's runinin' the family, that's what he's doin'"(Lee 110). Dill was unprepared to hear how Mr. Gilmer was treating Tom Robinson, that's why he started crying.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Dill seems to be less aware of the different races. Scout and Jem are used to people being judged, more so if they have darker skin. They also grew up with Calpurnia being their cook, and that might have helped them view the world. The Ewells were judged a lot and they live in the dump, but people still took his word over Tom Robinsons. When Scout thought; “Dill had started crying and couldn’t stop”(Lee 265), Dill cried because even though a black man was so blatantly innocent and a white man was lying, no one believed it and that struck Dill hard.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Veronica, Dill wasn’t raised in Maycomb where he would have been exposed to the racism that Scout thinks is okay. Dill notices how Atticus didn’t talk to Mayella the way Mr. Gilmer talks to Tom “The way that man called him ‘boy’ all the time and sneered at him,”(Lee 266). During the whole book this is the first moment Dill realizes how race affects how you are treated.
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