List of To Kill a Mockingbird characters
This is a character list from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Primary characters
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is the protagonist and narrator of the story. When the story opens she is six years old and about to start school (first grade); when it ends she is eight and is in third grade. She is a tomboy and an avid reader, and unlike many other children of her age, is literate before she enters school, having been taught by Calpurnia, the black cook and housekeeper of the Finch household, and Scout's father, Atticus. She also has a temper when it comes to people making fun of her or her father. She enjoys playing with her brother Jem and friend Dill Harris. She is very close with her father and is interested in becoming a lawyer just like he is. Throughout the novel she matures and finally understands Boo Radley when she takes him back over the street and 'steps into his shoes and walks around in them.' The book's author, Harper Lee, modeled Scout on herself.
Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch is Scout's older brother. At the beginning of the novel he is nine (nearly ten) and going into fifth grade, and at the end nearly thirteen and in the seventh. Throughout the book, Jem is a serious football fan and is constantly playing football and reading football magazines. Jem undergoes crucial transformations in the work as he becomes a teenager. The trial of Tom Robinson is Jem's encounter with injustice, and the realization of its existence drives him into a sullen state. Prior to this, he had viewed the world innocently, thinking of people as one-sided. He viewed Boo Radley as a frightening figure. Jem was able to overcome his sullenness due to the strong presence of Atticus in his life, and became a bigger person as he achieved a greater understanding of the world and how to view and treat other human beings. Evident after he defends Boo after realizing that the rumors of Boo being a monster are mostly false. He also grew distant from Scout, as opposed to their closeness at the beginning of the novel, who he often asked to act more like a lady as the book progresses.
Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem, and a lawyer who defends Tom Robinson, a black man being tried for the rape of a white woman. He does this because he feels that not doing so would make him a hypocrite, and his sense of morality tells him that he should try his best to try to save Tom Robinson from unfair prosecution. Atticus serves as a guiding light for his children, always calm and patient. He teaches them that one should not dwell on the fact that evil exists, but that they should instead realize that the existence of this evil is a sign that there is work to do, and progress to make. He provides a strong influence on his children, informing and preparing them on the harsh realities of the world. Atticus provides the moral backbone of the story. He is not only a very effective and just lawyer, but holds kindness and empathy as the highest traits a person can have. Scout and Jem call Atticus by his first name instead of an honorific title such as "father", "dad", "papa", "pop", etc. Lee has taken care in choosing her characters' names. Atticus was the name of a Roman philosopher, Titus Pomponius Atticus, who never took sides in arguments.
Calpurnia is the cook and maid to the Finch family. Calpurnia is much more than a cook and is deeply respected by Atticus (he remarks in her defense that she "never indulged [the children] like most colored nurses"); she can be described as a strict mother figure and refers to Scout and Jem as "her kids". In Scout's early life she provides discipline, instruction, and love. Calpurnia is one of the few Negroes in the novel who is able to read and write, and teaches Scout to write prior to Scout's entry into school. She is believed to be just a few years older than Atticus, but since she doesn't know when she was born, she simply has her 'birthday' at Christmas, due to it being easy to remember.
Charles Baker "Dill" Harris is one year older than Scout. He has very light hair and is short for his age, which in the beginning of the novel is "goin' on seven." Dill spends the summer with his aunt, Miss Rachel Haverford, in Maycomb. He lives for the rest of the year in Meridian, Mississippi. Dill has a crush on Scout and wants to marry her in the future. Dill has many ideas for new ways to spy on Boo Radley and to try to get him to come out. He's also well-known for telling tall tales and changing them often. As the years pass, it is evident that Dill's home life is not as he presents it.He is in actual fact very lonely and comes to Scout and Jem for friendship and company, his parents can give him materialistic things but not the love he longs for. Dill is modeled on Truman Capote, a childhood playmate of Lee's.
Arthur "Boo" Radley symbolizes tortured innocence. A gentle creature, he is viewed with fear by the children, as he was by the townspeople in general. The children do not come to a better understanding of him until the end of the work. He does several heroic things, including giving Scout a blanket during a neighborhood fire, and saving the children from attempted murder. His misconceived good nature testifies to the message of the story, one of kindness and the notion that people should not make judgments on others, since human beings are not that simple. Arthur Radley is one of the "mockingbirds" in the story. It is said that he was a good person, scared by the world after being shunned by his family. He only speaks one sentence in the book: "Will you take me home?".
Thomas "Tom" Robinson is cursed with a withered left arm as he accidentally caught his arm in a cotton gin during his youth. He is important to the novel for many different reasons. Firstly, he acts as a scapegoat in the novel – allowed to take the blame for something he didn't do (raping Mayella Ewell). He represents the 'mockingbird,' doing nothing but good (helping Mayella with various tasks and expecting no payment in return). In addition, his case shows that many white people are prejudiced against the black people of Maycomb, but they hide it behind a veil of hypocrisy. Although Scout is too young to understand the basic principle of racism, her description of the trial of Tom lets the readers know that the author is against racism. The book is an example of a Bildungsroman – showing how she and Jem are growing up.
"Bob" Ewell is the father of a number of children, including Mayella and Burris Ewell. He is the antagonist of the story and a racist character who spits on Atticus after Tom Robinson's court case. Bob Ewell and his family are the town embarrassment, exemplary of "white trash". He swears revenge against Atticus for destroying his image in the town. Atticus dismisses the threat, deciding to consider things from Ewell's perspective. However, Atticus underestimates the true extent of Ewell's hatred and Ewell tries to kill Atticus's children in a surprise attack at night. But things don't go as planned when the children escape and Ewell is later found dead, presumably killed by Boo Radley.
Mayella Violet Ewell is Tom Robinson's 19 year old accuser. She is the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell and has to take care of her siblings, since all the Ewell children go to school only for the first day of each year and their father spends his unemployment money on alcohol. Mayella's mother died when Mayella was a child or adolescent. Since her death, Mayella has become her father's surrogate wife and her sibling's mother. At one point during Tom Robinson's testimony a sexual relationship between Mayella and her father is hinted at("She says she never kissed a grown man before an' she might as well kiss a nigger. She says what her papa do to her don't count."). She was continually physically abused by her father; Atticus politely and indirectly proves this by mentioning the bruises concentrated on her right side. Mayella cannot attend school because she must stay home, take care of her siblings, and clean. She is isolated from her peers and very lonely. Indeed, she is so lonely that when Atticus asks her if she has any friends, she becomes confused because she does not know what a friend is. She wants a better life for herself and lovingly grows red geraniums, but a change in her situation is unlikely. To get the human contact that she so craves, she attempts to seduce a black man, namely Tom Robinson. Her father sees this and beats her up, calling her a whore. He then finds the sheriff and tells him that his daughter has been raped, even though there is absolutely no proof of this. By testifying against Tom, she may have simply been submitting to her father's demands, or be testifying in anger at Tom's rejections; this is never directly stated in the book, however, it is noted that Mayella was in love with Tom, probably because he was the only person that ever treats her with humanity.
Minor characters
Alexandra Finch Hancock is Atticus' sister. Alexandra comes to stay with the Finches, as she does not find Calpurnia satisfactory to a maternal figure. She quickly becomes a popular Maycomb resident, particularly with Miss Rachel and Miss Stephanie. She doesn't approve of Atticus' style of parenting, and refers to the Cunningham's as "trash", of which Scout is offended. She is the grandmother of Francis. At first it seems that Scout shows no respect to Alexandra, finding her purpose minimal. Upon the story's ending, Alexandra, at first finding Scout as a vile, un-ladylike girl, is deeply disturbed by the attack wrought upon Scout and Jem by Bob Ewell. She almost feels as though it is her doing that the children were attacked. Though she does not approve of all Atticus does, we see a softer, more human side to her when she breaks down worried about what will happen to him in the kitchen.
Jack Finch is Atticus' brother. He comes during Christmas time. He teaches Scout and Jem to shoot the air-rifles their father bought them as Christmas presents. He realizes that Scout is using foul language and warns her that he will lick (spank) her if she doesn't stop. During Christmas at the Finch Landing Francis (Alexandra's grandson) provokes Scout and she calls him a whore-lady. After Jack hears about it he scolds her. Later, at home, Scout tells him of what Francis called Atticus and Jack apologizes. He is a doctor and like Atticus moved away from the Finches' landing showing that he too is free from southern bondage.
Maudie Atkinson lives across the street from the Finches. She enjoys baking and gardening and is about fifty. She is also considered by some to be a symbolic Mockingbird, as she is frequently harassed by devout Primitive Baptists(Foot-Washing Baptist) who tell her that her enjoyment of gardening is sin. Miss. Maudie befriends Scout and Jem and tells them about Atticus as a boy. During the course of the novel her house burns down (this event does not take place in the film); however she shows remarkable courage throughout this. She is not prejudiced like many of her Southern neighbors and is like a female version of Atticus.
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is an old lady who lives near the Finches. She is a very angry, mean, old woman. Scout says , 'Mrs Dubose was plain hell' It is even said that she carries a pistol with her. She screams insulting remarks at all who pass her house. A virulent racist, she calls Atticus a "nigger-lover" to his children, and the upset Jem objects and ravages Mrs. Dubose's camellias. As a punishment, Jem is assigned to read to Mrs. Dubose each day. She has a fit each time he reads, and when the alarm rings, Jem is allowed to leave. After a month and a week of reading, Jem is finally allowed to stop. Mrs. Dubose dies shortly thereafter. Atticus informs Jem that Mrs. Dubose had fallen victim to an addiction to morphine. By reading to her, Jem had helped her end her addiction, her dying wish. In thanks she leaves him a candy box with a camellia in it. Jem diposes of the box in anger, but is later seen by Scout admiring the flower. Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose was the bravest person he ever knew, and he was trying to teach Jem the importance of bravery and respect and the importance of courage when you know 'you're licked before you begin but you see it through anyway'.
Judge Taylor is a white-haired old man with a reputation for running his court in an informal fashion. He seems to have no views on almost anything, until he presides over the Tom Robinson trial, in which he shows great distaste for the Ewells and seems to have great respect for Atticus. After the trial, Miss Maudie points out to the children that Judge Taylor had tried to help Tom Robinson by appointing Atticus to the case instead of a new, untried lawyer.
Heck Tate is the sheriff of Maycomb. He is characterized as a neutral, fair-minded, but somewhat weak-willed character. However, his decision at the end of the novel to report the killing of Bob Ewell as a self-inflicted stabbing provides a measure of protection to Arthur Radley.
Horace Gilmer is a lawyer from Abbotsville. He is the man who presents prosecution against Tom Robinson.
The Cunninghams are a poor but proud family in Maycomb, unwilling to accept charity or loans that they are unable to pay back. The father, Walter Cunningham is a part of the Old Sarum mob that tries to lynch Tom Robinson. His cousin later serves on Robinson's jury, and is the only member of the jury to push for an acquittal.They are an example of a poor white family and are used as a comparison and contrast to the Ewells.
Nathan Radley is Arthur Radley's older brother, who now is the head of the Radley house, since his father died. Like his father, he tries to isolate Arthur "Boo" Radley from the outside world, for example blocking the tree nook up with cement where Boo left presents.
Dolphus Raymond is a weathy but disliked white man who married a black woman. He pretends he is an alcoholic, but he only drinks Coca Cola out of a sack. He does this to put the people of Maycomb at ease, to give them a reason why he married a black woman. He knows they will not understand why he lives as he does, so by pretending he is a drunk, he makes life easier for himself (and for Maycomb).He is also an example of a mockingbird.
Link Deas is a store owner in Maycomb who employs Tom and later Helen Robinson. He announces to the court at one point in the trial that he's never had a "speck o' trouble" out of Tom in the eight years he worked for him. When Bob Ewell starts threatening Helen after the trial, Mr. Deas fiercely defends her and threatens several times to have Mr. Ewell arrested if he keeps bothering her.
Helen Robinson is the wife of Tom Robinson. She is who Atticus notifies after Tom is killed and greatly dislikes Bob Ewell. She is employed by Tom's employer, Link Deas, as a cook to keep her family alive after Tom is killed.
Caroline Fisher is Scout's first grade teacher and is new to Maycomb and its ways. She suffers an embarrassing event as Scout tries to teach her the ways of Maycomb County. She attempts to teach the first grade class using a system that Jem mistakenly refers to as the Dewey Decimal System, and thus forbids Scout from letting Atticus teach her to read. Caroline fails to realise, however, that Scout learning from Atticus' example is in fact what she is trying to introduce.
Reverend Sykes is the reverend of the First Purchase M.E. African Church in Maycomb County. This is the church where Tom Robinson attended. Reverend Sykes forces the congregation each to donate 10 cents for Tom Robinson's family since at the time, Tom's wife Helen was having trouble finding any work.
Zeebo, Calpurnia's son, is the town garbage collector. He is one of only four people in First Purchase church who can read, and so he is the vocal leader, leading hymns in the black First Purchase Church by "lining," reading a line of verse and having the congregation repeat it. After Atticus shoots a rabid dog, Tim Johnson (property of the Mobile bus driver, Harry Johnson), Zeebo is called to remove the animal's corpse and disinfect the location.
Stephanie Crawford, is the neighborhood gossip, who once claimed she saw Boo Radley through her bedroom window. She is one of the first on the scene after a gunshot is heard behind the Radley house. Because she is the neighborhood gossip, it is unwise to think of anything that she says as true, because most of the time it is not true at all. Boo Radley turns out to be a shy gentleman, not a creep with fangs and yellow eyes and teeth.
Francis Hancock, is Scout and Jem's cousin who "asks for trouble" from Scout over Christmas vacation by calling Atticus a "Nigger-Lover". Francis gets punched by Scout, who is punished by Uncle Jack.