An overview of the Characters from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

As part of our FREE character profiles for 12 key GCSE texts. We want to help you revise and learn GCSE English and GCSE English Literature to your full potential.

• Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch: 6 Year old daughter of Atticus and Sister of Jem. Scout is the narrator of the story. An intelligent and adventurous tom-boy Scout has a strong moral sense that is explored in the novel by her encounters with her own fears and the prejudices and racism of the American South.

• Atticus Finch: Father of Jem and Scout, Attics is a widowed lawyer who is respected amongst his community. Unlike much of the white community in the south, Atticus is committed to racial equality. Atticus’ good example and teaching give his children their strong sense of morality.

• Jeremy Atticus ‘Jem’ Finch: Son of Atticus and brother to Scout. Jem is a close and caring brother to Scout even though he is 4 years older. Jem is a typical American boy of the period and is daring and protective of his sister. Jem’s ideas about justice are badly affected by the unfair trial of Tom Robinson and he learns about his own prejudice through interaction with Boo Radley.

• Calpurnia: Cook to the Finch household. Calpurnia is the children’s link to the black community.
• Aunt Alexandra: Atticus’ sister. A perfect example of a white American woman in the south. Alexandra is very traditional ad would have Scout behave in a more ladylike fashion.

• Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley: A mysterious and reclusive man who has captured the imagination of the children with his strange ways. Initially feared by the children Boo shows that he is a good man when he helps and then saves them. Boo is a tragic example of an abused character hiding from the world. Like the Mockingbird Boo is badly treated even though he just wants to do good.

• Nathan Radley: Older brother of Boo. Nathan shares some of his fathers cruelty, seen when he blocks the hole in the tree that the children use to communicate with Boo.

• Bob Ewell: An unemployed drunk from a poor family. Bob accuses Tom Robinson of raping his daughter although he knows this was not the case. Bob is a racist and would rather have an innocent man punished than see his daughter with a black man. Bob represents the kind of racist attitudes in the south that Atticus is very much against.

• Mayella Ewell: Daughter of Bob Ewell. One pities Mayella for having such a drunken, abusive father however she goes along with accusing Tom Robinson.

• Charles Baker ‘Dill’ Harris: Jem and Scouts friend who stays in Maycomb for the Summer. Dill has a wild imagination and a fascination with Boo Radley.

• Miss Maudie Atkinson: A Neighbour and Friend of the Finch family. Although Sharp tongued Miss Maudie is the best adult friend of the children and shares Atticus’ liberal attitudes.

• Tom Robinson: A black field hand whose relationship with Mayella gets him wrongly accused of  rape and faces unfair justice. Another of Harper Lee’s mockingbirds.

• Link Deas: The employer of Tom Robinson, a good man who defends the character of Tom showing the opposite of the prevailing racist attitude.

• Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose: An old, grumpy, racist neighbour of the Finch family. Atticus respects her for the way she copes with her morphine addiction however the children, especially Jem, do not like her.

• Heck Tate: The Sheriff of Maycomb. A decent man in bad circumstances who is a major witness in the trial of Tom Robinson.

• Mr Underwood: Publisher of Maycomb’s newspaper and ally of Atticus.

• Mr Dolphus Raymond: A wealthy white man who unusually for the time has a black wife and prefers the company of black people. Rather than explain his choice to the largely racist public of Maycomb, Mr Raymond pretends to be a drunk to explain his behaviour.

• Mr Walter Cunningham: Father of Walter Cunningham who is a classmate of Scout, Mr Cunningham is a poor farmer. Part of the mob that attempt to lynch Tom Robinson, he learns a lesson when Scout through her innocence an politeness persuades him to break up the mob.

• Walter Cunningham: Mr Cunningham’s son. Classmate of Scout.

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