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This is a list of characters from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Primary characters
Atticus Finch
Atticus Finch is the son of Simon Finch. Atticus Finch is the father of both Jeremy Finch and Jean Louise Finch. His profession is that of a lawyer and he has defended a couple of cases. His main importance is the Tom Robinson case where he has to defend a Negro. Bob Ewell at first thinks that because Tom Robinson is a Negro, Atticus would never defend him. However, to Ewell's surprise, Atticus agrees to defend Tom. This in turn leads to the biggest law case in Maycomb County. Here it is Tom Robinson versus Mayella Ewell. Atticus proves through evidence that Tom Robinson hasn't raped Mayella Ewell, however, because of a biased and racist jury, Tom Robinson is convicted guilty. This makes Tom Robinson go into depression. He tries to escape the jail by running but is shot down and dies. This makes Atticus Finch sad but his problems aren't over. Bob Ewell attacks his kids when they are coming back from the county pageant. There, luckily, Boo Radley saves them, and Atticus tries to give Boo the credit. However, Heck Tate, the county sheriff says that Boo likes to be in hiding and doesn't want too much attention. Thus, Bob Ewell apparently fell on his own knife and stabbed himself.
Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch
Jem represents the idea of bravery in the novel, and the way that his definition changes over the course of the story is important. The shift that occurs probably has as much to do with age as experience, although the experiences provide a better framework for the reader. When the story begins, Jem's idea of bravery is simply touching the side of the Radley house and then only because "In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare." But as the story progresses, Jem learns about bravery from Atticus facing a mad dog, from Mrs. Dubose's fight with addiction, and from Scout's confrontation with the mob at the jail, among others. And along the way, he grows from a boy who drags his sister along as a co-conspirator to a young gentleman who protects his Scout and tries to help her understand the implications of the events around her.
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is the main character and the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird. She is commonly harassed by many of the adult female figures, especially her Aunt Alexandra, for her tomboyish ways. She is smart for her age and has trouble in school because she can already read and write when she starts first grade. She is in love with Dill Harris, who comes to visit from Mississippi every summer and whom she plans to marry and will occasionally kiss. She matures as the novel progresses but still retains some of her childish ways. The novel is written from the point of view of Scout when she is older and she often comments on how she didn't understand something at the time, but now, having grown up, she does. She is the only one of the three children to see Boo Radley, and actually talks to him during the course of the novel. She learns a lot by "standing in his shoes." She was terrified of Boo, but once she actually saw him, she realized he was harmless. She learns the true value of getting to know someone before judging them. She is sad at the end that she never gave Boo anything back, as he gave them treasures and their lives. She functions as the principal narrator in the novel.
Charles Baker "Dill" Harris
Small and devilish, Charles Baker "Dill" Harris is Scout and Jem's summer friend. He instigates much of the children's mischief by daring Jem to perform acts such as approaching the Radley house. He seems to have a limitless imagination, and his appeal is only enhanced by his firsthand knowledge of movies such as Dracula. Seemingly ignored (but not neglected) by his parents, Dill enjoys his yearly visits to his aunt, Rachel Haverford, who lives next door to the Finches — he even runs away from home one summer to come to Maycomb. A year older than Scout, Dill has declared he will one day marry her, a statement she seems to accept matter-of factly.
It has been acknowledged that Dill is based on Lee's childhood friend Truman Capote.[1]
Calpurnia
Calpurnia is the cook for the family, whom the children love and Atticus deeply respects (he remarks in her defense that she "never indulged [the children] like most colored nurses"); she can be described as a strict mother figure. In Scout's early life she provides discipline, instruction, and love, and essentially fills in for the maternal role after their mother's death. Calpurnia is one of the few black characters in the novel who is able to read and write. She is believed to be just a few years older than Atticus (in fact, they grew up together, and Atticus's father gave her the first book she ever read) but since she doesn't know when she was born, she simply has her 'birthday' at Christmas, as it is easy to remember. She is mentioned as having several children. One that we hear of is Zeebo who runs the town garbage truck.
Living in Maycomb's black and white communities, Calpurnia has two different perspectives on life, and Scout notices that she speaks and acts differently among her black friends than at their home. Because of her unique status, she can relate to both sides of stories.
Arthur "Boo" Radley
Arthur Radley, nicknamed "Boo" by the children of Maycomb, is a recluse. The townspeople claim he was a gentleman who was nice to women like Miss Maudie. Rather than let his son be sent to the industrial school, (where the other two gang boys would eventually receive a high-quality education) his father brought Arthur home. The form of punishment that the father used to keep Boo inside is unclear, but the indications are that Mr. Radley used religion as a weapon. The story is that later Boo stabs his father in the leg with a pair of scissors. He is once again taken to jail. This time when he returns home, he doesn't come out at all. The children, Scout, Jem, and Dill, are very interested with making "Boo Radley come out." He leaves treasures in an old oak tree for the kids, which started out with Wrigley's gum, but Mr. Radley puts cement in the knothole when the children try to thank Boo in a letter. When Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem on Halloween, Boo comes out of his house to save them. During the process however, he kills Bob but Atticus and Sheriff Tate pretend that Bob died on his own knife as convicting him would be like pointing a spotlight on a man who wanted to stay hidden.
Arthur "Boo" Radley has a strong presence in the novel even though he isn't seen until its last pages. A local legend for several years, Boo is rumored to be insane. An adolescent prank led his father to place him under house arrest. His sinister reputation stems from a later incident, when it was rumored that he stabbed his father in the leg with a pair of scissors. Boo becomes a central figure in the imaginations of Scout, Jem, and their neighbor Dill Harris, and thus being, their summers are occupied with dramatic re-creations of his life and plans to lure Boo out of his house. Despite his history of being abused by his father, Boo is revealed to be a gentle soul through his unseen acts: the gifts he leaves in the tree; his mending of Jem's torn pants; the blanket he puts around Scout the night of the fire; and finally, his rescue of the children from Bob Ewell's murderous attack. As self- defence for the children, Boo kills Bob Ewell with a kitchen knife.The children's fear of Boo Radley, based on ignorance rather than knowledge, subtly reflects the prejudice of the town against Tom Robinson, a connection mirrored in the use of mockingbird imagery for both men.
Nathan Radley
Nathan Radley is the brother of Arthur "Boo" Radley. However, when Boo's real father died, Nathan acts as the house's carekeeper. Even though it is not known whether he is the jailer of Boo Radley or the carekeeper, he plays an important role in To Kill A Mockingbird by cementing the hole in the tree where Boo Radley used to put gifts for the children. Even though Nathan is seen outside more often, he is as mysterious as Arthur "Boo" Radley.
Maudie Atkinson
Miss Maudie Atkinson lives across the street from the Finch family. She is described as a woman of about fifty who enjoys baking and gardening; her cakes are especially held in high regard. She is also considered by some to be a symbolic Mockingbird, as she is frequently harassed by devout "Foot-Washing Baptists", 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; however, she shows remarkable courage throughout this (even joking that she wanted to burn it down herself to make more room for her flowers/azaleas). She is not prejudiced, like many of her Southern neighbors.
Mayella Violet Ewell
Mayella Violet Ewell is Tom Robinson's 19 year old accuser and the daughter of Bob Ewell. She is the oldest daughter of Bob Ewell and has to take care of her siblings (one of them is Burris, the boy we see at Scout's school), 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. Since her death, Mayella has become her father's surrogacy 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 negro. 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, indicating a left-handed person and Tom Robinson has no use of his left arm. 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. In fact, she is so lonely that when Atticus Finch asks her if she has any friends, she becomes confused because she does not know what a friend is. During her time in court, she is confused by Atticus' polite speech and thinks that his use of "Miss Mayella" is meant to mock her. 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, Heck Tate, and tells him that his daughter has been raped, even though there is absolutely no proof of this. By testifying against Tom Robinson, she was trying to destroy the evidence suggesting she had attempted to seduce him.
Bob Ewell
Robert "Bob" Ewell is Mayella's father. After seeing her kiss Tom, a black man, Bob beats her and forces Mayella to accuse Tom of rape. He wins the case in court, but still feels humiliated by what Atticus proved and later swears revenge. He tries to break into Judge Taylor's house and he harasses Helen Robinson. When Tom is shot, his only comment is, "one down and two to go." However, he is too cowardly to attack Atticus outright, so he decides to go after Atticus's children. One night he attacks Jem and Scout, who fortunately are saved by Boo Radley. Heck Tate, the town's sheriff, said that Bob falls down on his own knife, sending it through his rib cage, thus, accidentally killing himself in attempt to stab the children; however, in reality, it is Boo Radley who killed him to save Scout and Jem.
Thomas (Tom) Robinson
Thomas "Tom" Robinson is a 25-year-old black man who is accused of assaulting and raping Mayella Ewell. He is defended by Atticus Finch in his trial. As noticed by Scout, his left arm is useless and shriveled, which shows that it is not likely he beat Mayella because the bruises were on the right side of her face. Despite evidence that proves his innocence (his left arm is useless as all the muscles were torn out in a cotton gin accident), he is found guilty of rape and is sentenced to death. While in jail, he attempts to escape, but is shot dead. He has a wife, Helen, and three children. He, like Atticus, is polite and thinks nothing of doing various things for others out of sheer compassion and kindness. He infamously states during his testimony that he "felt right sorry" for Mayella, something that shocks the jury.
Aunt Alexandra Finch
Alexandra Finch is Atticus Finch's sister. She is always complaining that Atticus doesn't raise his children like a true Finch should. She disagrees with Atticus letting Jean Louise Finch "Scout" act like a tomboy and thinks she should act more like a lady. Scout and Aunt Alexandra have many conflicts with each other throughout the novel and Scout runs to Atticus for help. In general Atticus tells her that it will be ok and to just bear with her for the time she is here. Although she tries to influence Scout to act more like lady, she never prevails. Aunt Alexandra slightly disagrees with Atticus defending a Black man because shes not racist but only feels sorry for African Americans though does nothing to help them. Aunt Alexandra is Atticus' sister. She is married to James "Uncle Jimmy" Hancock, and has a son named Henry and a bratty grandson named Francis. Alexandra comes to stay with the Finches for two main reasons: she does not find Calpurnia satisfactory as a maternal figure because she is black; and because she takes it upon herself to educate Scout on how to be a "lady" (or rather, a Southern Belle, which Alexandra has mastered to perfection). 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 Cunninghams as "trash", of which Scout is offended. She is the grandmother of Francis (her son, Henry, is Francis' father). 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 brought 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, in the kitchen, Atticus tells her about the death of Tom Robinson, and she breaks down, worried about what will happen to him.
Minor characters
Uncle Jack Finch
"Uncle Jack" is Atticus' and Alexandra's brother. Uncle Jack is youngest of the three of them, and is said that he and Alexandra have the same features. Uncle Jack is described as smelling like alcohol and something sweet. Scout and Jem absolutely love him. He is a doctor, but the very funny kind and makes Scout and Jem laugh while performing small services for them. His real name is John Hale Finch and went to study medicine up north.
Mrs. Henry Lafeyette Dubose
Mrs. Dubose is an elderly woman who lives near the Finches. Scout describes Mrs. Dubose as 'plain hell.' 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 for a month. 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 die free from painkillers, her dying wish. In thanks she leaves him a candy box with a camellia in it. Jem disposes 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 no matter what."
Judge John Taylor
Judge John Taylor is a white-haired old man with a reputation for running his court in an informal fashion and an enjoyment of cigars and dipping, every once in a while he will shoot a spit into his spittoon. 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
Heck Tate is the town sheriff and a friend of Atticus's. At the end of the novel he is the one who comes up with the story to protect Boo Radley. He also indirectly forces Atticus to reveal his accuracy with firearms, which he wanted to keep a secret from Jem and Scout.
Mr. Braxton Underwood
Mr. Underwood is a racist news reporter who is Atticus' friend. He owns and also publishes the articles in The Maycomb Tribune. He is seen at the jail scene defending Tom and Atticus from the Cunningham mob. Being a racist, he disagrees with Atticus but his bond is stronger so he manages to still want to defend Atticus.
Horace Gilmer
Horace Gilmer is a lawyer from Abbottsville, and is the prosecuting attorney for Bob and Mayella Ewell in the Tom Robinson case. Like many other Maycomb residents, Mr. Gilmer seems to be discriminative, shown by his harsh cross-examination of Tom Robinson.
Dr. Reynolds
Dr. Reynolds is the doctor of Maycomb town. He is well known to Scout and Jem. Scout says that he "had brought Jem and me into the world, had lead us through every childhood disease known to man including the time Jem fell out of the tree house, and he had never lost our friendship. Dr. Reynolds said that if we were boil-prone things would have been different..." (ch. 28). He inspects Jem's broken arm and Scout's minor bruises after the attack from Bob under the tree.
Dolphus Raymond
Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy but disliked white man who had children with 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 lived with 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). Thus, he has all kinds of false rumors spread by Maycomb surrounding his decision. He is also an example of a mockingbird. When Dill and Scout discover that he is not a drunk they are amazed. He shows Scout 'how sometimes you have to pretend you are something when you really aren't.
Link Deas
Link Deas owns cotton fields 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.
Caroline Fisher
Caroline Fisher is Scout's first grade teacher and is new to Maycomb, Alabama and its ways. She attempts to teach the first grade class using a new standardized system which she learned from taking certain college courses that Jem mistakenly refers to as the Dewey Decimal System. She is upset that Scout is far more advanced in reading than the rest of her class, and so, in an effort to standardize the class, forbids Scout from reading. She has good intentions, but proves quite incompetent as a teacher. It is also implied that Jem had a "crush" on her for a period.
Reverend Sykes
Reverend Sykes is the reverend of the First Purchase M.E. African Church in Maycomb County. This is the church 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. During the trial, when the courtroom was too packed for the children to finds seats, Reverend Sykes lets the kids sit with him up in the colored balcony. This is another example of how the black community accepts the Finches, and they in turn accept the black community.
Zeebo
Zeebo, Calpurnia's oldest 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 negro First Purchase Church by "lining," reading a line of verse and having the congregation repeat it.
Stephanie Crawford
Stephanie Crawford is the neighborhood gossip, who once claimed she saw Boo Radley from her bedroom standing outside of her cleaned window one night. She is one of the first on the scene after a loud 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. She is a friend of Alexandra Finch. She lets Miss Maudie live with her when Miss Maudie's house burns down, supposedly in order to steal Miss Maudie's lanecake recipe. She is thrilled to pass on gossip to the kids about Atticus. Miss Crawford made Scouts ham costume for the play. (In the movie, as played by Alice Ghostley, she was related to Dill Harris.)
Rachel Haverford
Miss Rachel Haverford is Dill's aunt and the Finch's neighbor. Dill's mom in Meridian is Rachel's sister. Dill says that she drinks a lot of alcohol every morning, due to the fact that she found a rattlesnake in her closet when she
Helen Robinson
Helen Robinson is the wife of Tom Robinson. She is spoken about many times. She has 3 children. She is harassed by Bob Ewell after the trial of her husband. A few times (or maybe even once) she walks on the public road Bob Ewell would "chunk" at her, or follow her, crooning foul words. Link Deas tells him to stop and gives Helen a job after Tom is put into jail.
Jessie
Jessie is Mrs. Dubose's black caregiver. She is the woman who shoos the children out when Mrs. Dubose has her fits, and she seems to care enormously for Mrs. Dubose.
Burris Ewell
Burris Ewell is a son of Mr. Ewell and a younger sibling of Mayella Ewell. He comes to the first day of school, but departs just as everyone else in his family does. He's got live lice in his hair. He even scared his teacher Caroline Fisher and behaves rudely when she tells him to go home and wash his hair and come back clean tomorrow. But she doesn't know that he won't be coming to school until the first day of the next year. But she founds out later by the children in the class and weeps by Burris's rude behaviour.
Lula
Lula is the angry African-American woman who confronts Calpurnia when she brings Jem and Scout to her (all-black) church called First Purchase M. E. Church. She believes that if white people can be racist, then she can be too and demands that Jem and Scout are removed from the church. But the other African-Americans welcome Jem and Scout happily making Lula leave the church.
Mrs. Merriweather
Mrs. Grace Merriweather is the producer of the pageant in which Scout plays a ham. She is the most devout lady in Maycomb. Also a hypocrite for talking about the "sinners" in the North for setting the negroes free and not inviting them to eat with them. She complains about her cooks and field hands.
Walter Cunningham Jr.
Walter Cunningham Jr. is the kid who is almost as old as Jem but is in Scout's class. He is too poor to even pay off a 25 cent debt and the Great Depression hit his family hard. He is invited over to the Finch's house once where he covers up all of his dinner with syrup . He also gets into fights with Scout a lot.
Walter Cunningham Sr.
Walter Cunningham Sr. is Walter Cunningham Jr.'s dad. He is only displayed twice, once at the beginning of the story when he has to pay off the debt to Atticus (Walter Cunningham Sr. was his client) by giving him driftwood and other supplies. The second time, he is in a the mob who tries to lynch Tom Robinson the night before the trial. He is the leader of the mob. Only when Scout comes and talks to him about his son does he turn his back and leaves with the mob.
Mr. Avery
Mr. Avery is a fat neighbor who tells Jem and Scout that the weather only changes because of bad children like them. So when it snows just a little, Jem (with Scout's help) constructs a snowman that looks just like Mr. Avery. (See reference #2. )
References
2. http://www.bookrags.com/notes/tkm/CHR.htm.
- ^ Interview with Lawrence Grobel
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