The Serpent King

The author utilizes art and artistic expression as a symbol of freedom. By definition, art represents a way of expression that may be individual or collective, often involving creativity and ability to break away from societal restrictions. Art is unpredictable, limitless, and often unconventional, all of which imply freedom of thought and freedom to act.

In the novel, Dill uses his talent for music at first within the strictures of religious custom. Only when he accepts his musicality as a liberating gift does he becomes a musician, free to make songs that speak of things he loves and appreciates (like writing a song for Lydia). Music frees him from the stark reality of his life. 

For Travis, reading books and writing stories more than just an escape; it is a means of expressing his gentle, sensitive, and imaginative side, free from the toxic restraint imposed by his abusive father. Lydia’s parents have always encouraged her to express herself artistically, and the psychological freedom she possesses provides stability and support for Dill and Travis. She writes about the art of fashion, and later about the art of being true to oneself, which becomes the goal for all the protagonists; their art sets them free. 

Conversely, Zentner uses religious fundamentalism as a symbol of oppression and captivity. He posits that belief systems can offer beneficial support and a structure for organizing faith in a way that allows people to connect and find a higher purpose. Once religion as an institution of rules, commandments, and laws becomes too restrictive, however, it cancels out the freedom of the individual and submits its adherents to the power of leaders. 

By setting the novel within the Bible Belt, the author assesses critically the religious practices found there. Dill’s father uses snake handling and drinking battery acid or strychnine not only as ways to demonstrate God’s blessing upon him but also as a test for his congregation: They have to submit to these cruel customs to prove themselves worthy of his church. Dill Jr. is obviously influenced by his religious upbringing. Even though he fights these constraints, they have instilled in him a deep sense of guilt, and a feeling that he should repent for every independent or self-serving thought. By contrast, his father does not show any sense of guilt or remorse for the crimes he has committed, which tells us that he uses religion more as a means of controlling others than from faith in a divine existence. Within Dill there is a battle between two symbolic entities: Religion forbids him to think in his own best interests, while art helps him express who he really is and become the truest version of himself. 

The novel centers on the motif of friendship in its many forms, highlighting the peer relationships that become especially important to teens as they mature. One of the central messages of the story is that friendships offer support and solace though the hardest of times, and that people should cherish their friends. Dill, Lydia, and Travis are best friends who are markedly different from their peers. Several incidents test the limits of their relationship: Dill’s and Lydia’s romantic feelings, Dill’s resentment of his lineage, and Travis’s sudden death. Despite the surface differences (Dill’s and Travis’s poverty versus Lydia’s middle-class comfort) and occasional differences of opinion, their friendship keeps all of them going in times that are occasionally very hard. 

Lydia’s friendship makes it possible for Dill to present his music to the world and for Travis to meet his literary hero. Dill’s friendship enables Travis to leave his abusive home and find a haven with his friend, no questions asked. Travis keeps Dill and Lydia from reacting too impulsively and helps bring them together as a couple; after Travis dies, Dill and Lydia carry on his memory as part of themselves. He remains their friend even in death while the two, now a romantic couple, become mature enough to know that their friendship is the best part of their relationship.