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1. 
   gbeatty Teacher
   College - Freshman

   eNotes Editor

   Because he can read. (He thinks this is a big deal because he's young until he finds out Scout [who is younger] can read.)

   Greg

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   http://www.enotes.com/mockingbird/2616

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   Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday March 7, 2007 at 6:00 PM
   
   

2. 
   wildwolfpup Student
   College - Sophomore

   Dill feels very superior to the other children in Maycomb because he is "old" and he can read, although Scout can also.

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   Posted by wildwolfpup on Tuesday March 13, 2007 at 8:36 PM
   
   

3. 
   klair Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   The answer to this question is not a simple "he can read" because Dill is not a simple character in this story. Dill is based on Truman Capote who was a childhood friend of Harper Lee. He is not portrayed as "self-important" in the novel but rather a young boy who creates fantasies rather than deal with his life. His mother abandons him to live with relatives so she can pursue her own happiness. Dill has to have a make-believe life because his own is unbearable. He is a boy living in a world of adults and is suddenly given the gift of childhood friendship by Scout and Jem. He has to learn how to relate to someone his own age instead of standing out to adults. Harper Lee maintained a friendship with Truman Capote even while To Kill a Mockingbird was being published. She was recalling a fragile young man who arrived in a small town where everyone knew your business rather than a city where anonymity was the order of the day. The fact that Dill can read does not make him stand out anymore because Scout can do the same thing.

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   Posted by klair on Sunday March 18, 2007 at 3:23 PM