To Kill a Mockingbird
(Harper Lee)

Atticus Finch

The patriarch of the Finch family. Atticus is forced to raise the children by himself, with the aid of Calpurnia, after his wife passes away when Scout is just a baby. He is a lawyer who is very intelligent, tolerant, loyal, and has a strong, clear sense of right and wrong.

He does what he believes to be moral even when others may not agree and he raises his children to do the same. Scout sees Atticus as old and slightly boring, but comes to realize that Atticus is a lot cooler than she originally had thought, just not in the conventional ways.

Jean Louise “Scout” Finch

The nine-year-old narrator of the story, who is just about to turn six at the start of the novel. Scout is the youngest child of Atticus Finch and the cause of most of his worries. She is stubborn, hotheaded, over inquisitive, extremely mouthy, and very curious. Scout is not afraid to say or do anything, and has no problem speaking her mind.

She is quite the know-it-all and likes to set people straight, be it verbally or physically, whenever she can. Scout is wise beyond her years but still has quite a bit of growing up to do.

Jeremy “Jem” Finch

The oldest child of Atticus Finch, and Scout’s older brother. Jem is nine years old at the start of the novel and thirteen by its end. He likes to get into trouble almost as much as Scout does, but it slowly growing out of the reckless stage and becoming a young adult.

He sees the importance in things that Scout finds trivial, like laws, rules, and school but still enjoys playing games with Scout and Dill. Jem is much like Atticus in that he is quiet, slightly reserved, and quite intelligent, though sometimes he thinks he is smarter than he actually is. He is forced to grow up quickly during the trial and to realize how cruel the world can sometimes be.

Calpurnia

The Finch family cook/housekeeper/nanny. Cal is a black woman who works for the family in a time when black people were treated as slaves to many. To Atticus, Jem, and Scout, Cal is family. She basically acts as a mother to them and helps Atticus to raise them to be upstanding adults and productive members of society.

Cal helps the kids to understand compassion and morals, and to keep them in line when they step out of it, especially Scout. Cal holds Jem and Scout to a very high standard and treats them as though they were her own. She takes them to church with her so they can see how much the black community respects their father and what he is doing for Tom Robinson.

Charles Baker “Dill” Harris

Dill visits Maycomb every summer to stay with his Aunt Rachel, who is neighbor to the Finch family. Dill becomes good friends with Jem and Scout and is keen to play Boo Radley games with them and to find whatever trouble is hiding in Maycomb.

Dill is not directly affected by the drama with the court case; therefore he is the only character in the novel that maintains his youthful innocence, having not seen what Scout and Jem have been witness to. Dill remains the sole example of innocence in a world that has been tainted with hatred and ignorance.

Arthur “Boo” Radley

Maycomb’s local recluse. Boo Radley is a source of entertainment for the children because they let their imaginations run wild, dreaming up all sorts of scenarios involving Boo being a dangerous and scary man. In truth, Boo was abused by his father while growing up and has always stayed indoors as a result of this abuse, never wanting to face the outside world.

The adults in the neighborhood all know Boo and obviously know that he is not dangerous, and actually quite nice, but the kids are terrified of him. He turns out to be a hero, and makes every attempt to save the youth and innocence of both Scout and Jem, most likely because his was stolen from him.

Aunt Alexandra

Atticus’ sister who comes to stay with the family for a little while when Atticus is wrapped up in trial business. Aunt Alexandra believes that Atticus lets the children run wild and does not implement enough discipline on them. She tries to turn Scout into a young lady who wears dresses and acts properly.

She believes that Scout and Jem are far too imaginative considering their position in life and in the community. She thinks they ought to take themselves and life a bit more seriously if they want to be respectable Southern citizens. She loosens up in the face of near tragedy and becomes more of an ally than an enemy.

Uncle Jack

Atticus’ younger brother who learns a lesson from Scout. Uncle Jack vows to Atticus that he will never marry for fear of having children because Scout taught him that he knows nothing about children.

He is in the process of reprimanding Scout for beating on her cousin Francis, but then he learns that Scout knows fighting is wrong but felt the need to defend Atticus against slander. Jack realizes that Scout is wise beyond her years, and perhaps she knows more about life than he first imagines. Atticus teaches Jack that when children ask a question they deserve a straight and honest answer, despite the subject matter, because they have a right to know. Uncle Jack leaves the Finch home a different person than he arrives.

Bob Ewell

A despicable man who teaches his children nothing about being respectable members of society. He has never done an honest day of work in his life, drinks too much, and breaks laws. His children rarely have food and never bathe and are riddled with lice.

The Ewell children attend only the first day of school every year and will never finish. Bob is the father of Mayella Ewell and the two of them together accuse Tom Robinson of raping Mayella. Bob becomes a dangerous threat to the Finch family and would have potentially killed both Jem and Scout had it not been for the intervention of Boo Radley.

Tom Robinson

The black man who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Tom is a good man, according to his employer Mr. Link Dias, and trusted by Atticus. Atticus truly believes that Tom is innocent of the crime he is being accused of and fights tooth and nail with everything in him to prove Tom’s innocence.

Tom has a wife and children that are both left behind when Tom was shot and killed trying to escape prison after being wrongfully convicted of the rape of Mayella Ewell. Tom is the main “mockingbird” in this story – a good and innocent character that has his innocence stolen by evil.

Mayella Ewell

The daughter of Bob Ewell who accuses Tom Robinson of rape at the suggestion of her father. Mayella feels as though no one pays attention to her so she finds reasons to invite Tom Robinson into her home to fix things and when her father finds out he accuses her of coming on to Tom and beats her.

They then formulate a plan to accuse Tom of raping Mayella. In court, Mayella breaks down during Atticus’ questioning and admits that the entire accusation was a ruse, yet the jury finds Tom guilty, regardless.

Miss Maudie Atkinson

A neighbor to the Finch family and a close family friend. She is a widow and is a bit of a gossip, always getting in other people’s business. Miss Maudie has a quick wit and a sharp tongue and is not afraid to use either.

She stands by Atticus when many others turn their back on him, sharing his passion for justice and fairness. She is one of the few adults in the neighborhood that the children get along with. Miss Maudie is visited often by the children and is always kind to them, even if she may be a bit sharp at times.

Heck Tate

Heck is the town Sheriff and a friend of Atticus since childhood. Heck is a good man who has every intention of protecting the innocent, even when others think him wrong for it. He is honest and true and has high hopes for Maycomb, despite the hatred that sometimes shows itself.

Heck puts himself out on a limb and in the crosshairs when he decides to testify at the trial of Tom Robinson. Heck is much like Atticus in his desire for truth and justice, no matter the repercussions. Heck teaches Scout and Jem that Atticus was once a shooting champion, which made them have a bit more respect for their father, thus finding him much cooler than he had seemed to them before.

Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose

An old, crabby lady who lives on the same street as the Finch family. Mrs. Dubose makes it no secret her distaste for Atticus defending Tom Robinson and lets it be known by the entire town, even going out of her way to mention it to Jem and Scout. She is a racist old woman who is very bitter and opinionated. The children do not like her in the least, but Atticus has a lot of respect for her because he knows that she has a very serious addiction to morphine that she is battling, which he knows must be very hard for her.

Walter Cunningham

The subject of one of Scout’s lessons in compassion. Walter Cunningham is a member of a very proud, yet very poor family in Maycomb. Walter comes to school with no lunch, and refuses to take money from Miss Caroline. Scout tries to explain that the Cunninghams do not accept handouts and do not have the money for food. Walter is invited over for supper by Jem and pours syrup all over his food, because it is something he does not often get to have. When Scout calls him out on this she is reprimanded by Cal and told that he is their guest and can do what he pleases.