List of characters in To Kill a Mockingbird
Encyclopedia
To Kill a Mockingbird
is a 1960 novel by American Author Harper Lee
. It is often considered a great work of American literature, and is widely read in high school English and literature classes. The novel is set in the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and depicts a world populated by many characters. This is a list of characters from the novel.
Unlike Scout and Jem he lacks the security of family love. He is unwanted and unloved by his parents; "They do get on a lot better without me, I cannot help them any". As Francis, another Finch from the novel, says, "He hasn't got a home, he just gets passed around from relative to relative." Even Miss Rachel, with whom he stays over the summer, is not a woman deserving of a child's trust and love. He is well aware of her drinking habits. He is described as not having a father—he doesn't know where he lives or when he'll come back, if he does.
This character is believed to be based on author Truman Capote
, a childhood friend of Harper Lee.
Living in Maycomb's African American and Caucasian 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.
While everyone in the novel is filtered through Scout’s perception, Calpurnia in particular appears for a long time more as Scout’s idea of her than as a real person. At the beginning of the novel, Scout appears to think of Calpurnia as the wicked stepmother to Scout’s own Cinderella. Furthermore, at the start of the novel, when Scout disrespects a child from her class, Walter Cunningham, Calpurnia yells at Scout for criticizing his ways, ones very different from her own. However, towards the end of the book, Scout views Calpurnia as someone she can look up to and realizes Calpurnia has only protected her over the years.
, and slowly reveals himself throughout the novel. Arthur Radley, also known as Boo Radley, appears as a very quiet, reclusive character, who only passively presents himself, until the children's final interaction with Bob Ewell. Most of Maycomb believes he is a horrible person, due to the rumors spread about him, and a trial he underwent as a teenager. It is implied during the story that Boo is a very lonely man, who attempted to reach out to the children for love and friendship. Throughout the novel, he is shown as kind and generous. It was not until the end of the book, when he saved Jem and Scout Finch's lives from Mr. Ewell's assault, that he was paid notice. It wasn't until hours after the attack, when the family was in Jem’s room watching over him, that Scout finally realizes that it was Boo Radley who had saved them, and was watching over her all along. When Heck Tate attempted to avert blame from Jem, stating that Bob Ewell simply "fell on his knife", after Atticus clearly thought Jem had murdered Bob Ewell, Tate indirectly revealed the truth: Boo Radley killed Bob Ewell in order to defend the children. Scout described him as being sickly white, with a thin mouth and hair and grey eyes, almost as if he was blind. During the same night, when Boo requests that Scout walk him back to the Radley house, Scout takes a moment to picture what it would be like to be Boo Radley, while standing on his porch. Boo doesn't talk much, but Scout describes him as being very soft spoken and quiet.
Boo Radley's heroics and the subsequent "coverup" by Atticus, Sheriff Tate and Scout can be read as a wise refusal of fame. As Tate notes, if word gets out that Boo killed Ewell, Boo would be inundated with gifts and visits, something that would be calamitous for him. The precocious Scout recognizes the danger. Renown would "kill the mockingbird." Boo Radley is a ghost that haunts the book yet manifests himself at just the right moments in just the right way. He is, arguably, the most potent character in the whole book and as such, inspires the other key characters to save him when he needs saving.
initially brought up the subject, but didn't go into depth. When Jem gets older, and doesn't want to be bothered by Scout, Maudie keeps her from going mad.
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, named Tom Robinson. Through the window, her father sees this action, and calls her a whore, causing Tom Robinson to flee the scene, worried that he may be put on trial. Bob Ewell then finds the sheriff, Heck Tate, and tells him that his daughter has been raped, even though there is no evidence. By testifying against Tom Robinson, she was also trying to destroy the evidence suggesting that she had attempted to seduce him, most likely due to the extremes of racism in Maycomb.
Finch) is Atticus Finch's sister, married to James "Uncle Jimmy" Hancock. She has a son named Henry and a very spoiled grandson named Francis. Her husband, James, remains at Finch's Landing, the Finch family homestead, and, as she told Jem upon her arrival that, "he'll keep the place going." She stays with the Finches because she does not find the black
Calpurnia a satisfactory maternal figure, and because she wants to make Scout into a Southern belle
. She disapproves of Scout being a tomboy
and unsuccessfully encourages her to act like a "lady". This is the cause of many conflicts between Scout and Alexandra throughout the course of the novel.
She feels guilty and partially responsible when Scout and Jem are attacked by Bob Ewell, then after she gives up on making Scout a lady and even gives Scout back her overalls, (although she is in a shocked daze whilst she does so, apparently not aware she even is giving back Scout her overalls. Scout herself doesn't even notice the implications at that time, being in shock herself, as she notes that if she were, she'd never let Alexandra forget it.)
, which meant that he couldn't tell on Scout to school officials, but he would tell his grandmother, who would tell Atticus who would either punish her or even forgot about it, whichever fit the situation. Francis got along well with Jem, but often sparred with Scout. One Christmas, Francis called Atticus a "nigger-lover" which infuriated Scout and caused them to get into a fight. Francis lied about his role in it, telling Uncle Jack that Scout started it and called him a whore lady causing Scout to be punished. However, Scout explained the full story, and charitibly persuaded her uncle not to punish him about it, but to let Atticus think they had been fighting about something else. He is also considered to be a cousin of Scout, due to their closeness in age, although he is biologically Scout's cousin-once-removed. He is also 8 years old
, 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 true courage and endurance when the situation is hopeless, as in her morphine addiction. Soon after Atticus explains why Mrs. Dubose sent him the flower, Jem learns to admire it.
dog. Heck is a decent man who tries to protect the innocent from danger. Like Atticus, he seems to be one of the few in Maycomb County who is not viciously prejudiced against the Negro community. He is described as tall as Atticus but thinner, always wearing boots and boot-cut pants with a belt of bullets. He is a static character, holding onto his basic principles throughout the events of the story.
" out of a paperbag. He does this to put the people of Maycomb at ease, to give them a reason why he lived with a black woman and had mixed children. 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 simply need to pretend you are something when you really are not. He was engaged to marry a woman named Spencer, but she committed suicide on the wedding day. It is said that she shot herself by "pulling the trigger of a gun with her toes, and it blew her head off." He is jaded by the hypocrisy of the white society and prefers to live among black folks.
recipe. She is thrilled to pass on gossip to the kids about Boo Radley. She witnessed Bob Ewell's threatening Atticus at the Post Office corner as she was returning from the local Jitney Jungle
grocery store.
's Germany
. Despite this, Scout has heard her say that the blacks need to be taught a lesson after Tom's trial.
in chapter 10 and goes mad, putting everyone in the town at risk. Atticus is forced to shoot Tim Johnson before he reaches the Radley House [or, for that case, anyone]. When Atticus shoots the dog, his superb marksmanship is revealed to Scout and Jem (his nickname used to be One-Shot Finch). Tim Johnson is successfully shot and killed. His body is collected by Zeebo.
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...
is a 1960 novel by American Author Harper Lee
Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee is an American author known for her 1960 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama...
. It is often considered a great work of American literature, and is widely read in high school English and literature classes. The novel is set in the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and depicts a world populated by many characters. This is a list of characters from the novel.
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch
Scout is the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird. She is smart for her age, being able to read and write, which gets her in trouble with her teacher, Ms. Caroline, because she wants Scout to learn reading and writing her way. She matures from age 6 to age 8 as the novel progresses but still retains the childish ways that are appropriate to her age. The novel is written from the point of view of an adult Scout describing how she viewed things as a child, and she often comments about how she didn't understand something at the time, but now, having grown up, she does. She is the only one of the novel's primary three children to see and speak to Boo Radley during the course of the novel. Scout 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, by "getting in their skin and walking around in it". By the end she is sad that she never gave Boo anything back, as he gave them treasures and saved their lives. She is an innocent child and has not yet been able to understand the concepts of racial discrimination or hate. Scout is confused by some of the words and names she has heard people directing towards her father, Atticus Finch, since many of her classmates call Atticus a "nigger lover". Being only six, Scout does not know how to handle such situations so she solves her problems by fighting. Scout is also "engaged" to Charles Baker "Dill" Harris. She is also an inspiration to her fatherJeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch
Jem is the brother of Scout Finch, four years older than she is. 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. He sees bravery from Mrs. Dubose's addiction, from Atticus and the mad dog, and from Scout's confrontation with the mob, among other incidents. Along the way, he grows from a boy who drags his sister along as a co-conspirator to a maturing young man who helps Scout understand the problems and events around them. Jem and Scout both learn throughout the novel to look at the good in human nature, as well as the bad.Atticus Finch
Scout and Jem's father who is a well know attorney in Maycomb. He is wise and teaches the children lessons throughout the novel. Atticus believed in equality and thought of no one to be different prior to their circumstances. He defended Tom Robinson and was a major protagonist that foresaw many things. He was originally known as "One-Shot Finch" because of his skill with the rifle. There are many other things that Atticus represents in the book.Charles Baker "Dill" Harris
Jem and Scout's best friend, who lives in Maycomb only during the summer. His goal throughout the novel is to get the reclusive Boo Radley to come out of his house, which he hasn't left in years. For the first few summers the children concoct many plans to lure him out, until they are finally reprimanded by Atticus. Dill promises to marry Scout, and they become "engaged". One night Dill runs away from his home in the city, because he feels like he is being replaced in the family by his stepfather. He gets on a train and goes to Maycomb County, then hides under Scout's bed until she finds him.Unlike Scout and Jem he lacks the security of family love. He is unwanted and unloved by his parents; "They do get on a lot better without me, I cannot help them any". As Francis, another Finch from the novel, says, "He hasn't got a home, he just gets passed around from relative to relative." Even Miss Rachel, with whom he stays over the summer, is not a woman deserving of a child's trust and love. He is well aware of her drinking habits. He is described as not having a father—he doesn't know where he lives or when he'll come back, if he does.
This character is believed to be based on author Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
, a childhood friend of Harper Lee.
Calpurnia
She is the Finch family's housekeeper, 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, love, and essentially fills the maternal role for them after their mother's death. Calpurnia is one of the few black characters in the novel who is able to read and write, and it is she who taught Scout to write. She learned how to read from Miss Maudie's aunt, Miss Buford, who taught her how to read out of "Blackstone's Commentaries", a book given to her by Jem and Scout's grandfather (Atticus's dad).Living in Maycomb's African American and Caucasian 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.
While everyone in the novel is filtered through Scout’s perception, Calpurnia in particular appears for a long time more as Scout’s idea of her than as a real person. At the beginning of the novel, Scout appears to think of Calpurnia as the wicked stepmother to Scout’s own Cinderella. Furthermore, at the start of the novel, when Scout disrespects a child from her class, Walter Cunningham, Calpurnia yells at Scout for criticizing his ways, ones very different from her own. However, towards the end of the book, Scout views Calpurnia as someone she can look up to and realizes Calpurnia has only protected her over the years.
Arthur "Boo" Radley
Arthur Boo Radley is one of the harder to understand characters in To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...
, and slowly reveals himself throughout the novel. Arthur Radley, also known as Boo Radley, appears as a very quiet, reclusive character, who only passively presents himself, until the children's final interaction with Bob Ewell. Most of Maycomb believes he is a horrible person, due to the rumors spread about him, and a trial he underwent as a teenager. It is implied during the story that Boo is a very lonely man, who attempted to reach out to the children for love and friendship. Throughout the novel, he is shown as kind and generous. It was not until the end of the book, when he saved Jem and Scout Finch's lives from Mr. Ewell's assault, that he was paid notice. It wasn't until hours after the attack, when the family was in Jem’s room watching over him, that Scout finally realizes that it was Boo Radley who had saved them, and was watching over her all along. When Heck Tate attempted to avert blame from Jem, stating that Bob Ewell simply "fell on his knife", after Atticus clearly thought Jem had murdered Bob Ewell, Tate indirectly revealed the truth: Boo Radley killed Bob Ewell in order to defend the children. Scout described him as being sickly white, with a thin mouth and hair and grey eyes, almost as if he was blind. During the same night, when Boo requests that Scout walk him back to the Radley house, Scout takes a moment to picture what it would be like to be Boo Radley, while standing on his porch. Boo doesn't talk much, but Scout describes him as being very soft spoken and quiet.
Boo Radley's heroics and the subsequent "coverup" by Atticus, Sheriff Tate and Scout can be read as a wise refusal of fame. As Tate notes, if word gets out that Boo killed Ewell, Boo would be inundated with gifts and visits, something that would be calamitous for him. The precocious Scout recognizes the danger. Renown would "kill the mockingbird." Boo Radley is a ghost that haunts the book yet manifests himself at just the right moments in just the right way. He is, arguably, the most potent character in the whole book and as such, inspires the other key characters to save him when he needs saving.
Miss Maudie Atkinson
Miss Maudie Atkinson lived across the street from the Finch family. She had known the Finches for many years, having been brought up on the Buford place, which was near the Finch's ancestral home, Finch Landing. She is described as a woman of about 50 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 a 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). She is not prejudiced, unlike many of her Southern neighbors. Also, she is one of the few adults that Jem and Scout hold in high regard and respect. She does not act condescendingly towards them, even though they are young children. It is important to note that Miss Maudie fully explained that "it is a sin to kill a mockingbird", where as Atticus FinchAtticus Finch
Atticus Finch is a fictional character in Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a lawyer and resident of the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and the father of Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Atticus is a central character in the novel...
initially brought up the subject, but didn't go into depth. When Jem gets older, and doesn't want to be bothered by Scout, Maudie keeps her from going mad.
Bob Ewell
Robert E Lee "Bob" Ewell is the main antagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird. He has a daughter named Mayella, and a younger son named Burris, as well as six other unnamed children. He is an alcoholic who poaches game to feed his family, because he spends whatever money they legally gain (via "relief checks" from the government) on alcohol. He accuses Tom Robinson of raping his daughter and eventually has him thrown in jail, where Tom is subsequently killed while allegedly trying to escape. Though everyone in the town knows the Ewells are not to be trusted, it made to clear to the jury that Tom Robinson is convicted because he's black, and not because of Bob Ewell's testimony. Upon hearing about Tom's death, he is absolutely gleeful, gloating about his success. After being humiliated at the trial, however, Bob Ewell goes on a murderous rampage for revenge, becoming increasingly violent. He begins by spitting in Atticus' face, followed by a failed attempt at breaking into Judge Taylor's house, and finally menacing Tom's widow. He then attempts to murder Jem and Scout Finch with a knife to complete his revenge. However, Arthur "Boo" Radley arrives, and is able to save Jem and Scout. Heck Tate, the sheriff, then puts in the official report that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife and died after lying on the street for 45 minutes. They decided upon saying that Ewell fell on his own knife not due to fears that Boo Radley would be convicted of murder, but because "It is a sin to kill a mockingbird". That is, metaphorically speaking, Boo's innocence would be destroyed by "throwing a man who has done this town a great service into the limelight regardless of his shy ways" as Tate puts it, adding that "all the women in town including Tate's wife would be going over and giving Boo cakes and thank yous no matter how much he just wants to be left alone."Mayella Violet Ewell
Mayella Violet Ewell is Tom Robinson's 19-and-a-half-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 (such as Burris Ewell) since her father is an alcoholic. She was continually physically abused by him; Atticus politely and indirectly proves this by mentioning the bruises concentrated on the right side of her face during Tom Robinson's trial. When Atticus FinchAtticus Finch
Atticus Finch is a fictional character in Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a lawyer and resident of the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and the father of Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Atticus is a central character in the novel...
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, named Tom Robinson. Through the window, her father sees this action, and calls her a whore, causing Tom Robinson to flee the scene, worried that he may be put on trial. Bob Ewell then finds the sheriff, Heck Tate, and tells him that his daughter has been raped, even though there is no evidence. By testifying against Tom Robinson, she was also trying to destroy the evidence suggesting that she had attempted to seduce him, most likely due to the extremes of racism in Maycomb.
Thomas "Tom" Robinson
Thomas 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 Atticus noticed, his left arm is "hardly nothing", because it was caught in a cotton gin at age 12, making it nearly impossible that he beat Mayella- her bruises were only on the right side of her face. He is polite, and frequently helps Mayella, and a few other characters from the book, out of compassion and kindness. He states during his testimony that he felt sorry for Mayella, shocking the jury, as it was unheard of that a black man could feel sorry for a white woman. It is eventually proven that he didn't commit any crime, but is still declared guilty by the white jury. Tom is killed when he tries to escape from prison, and was shot 17 times by guards. It is unknown if he actually did try to run away or was setup by the guards at the prison. He has three children with his wife, Helen. He also worked as a field worker for Link Deas, who tried to defend Tom in court. Even after the trial ended Toms' family continues to be persecuted by some of the more racist people in Maycomb County (the area in which the story takes place). Tom is in many ways like the mockingbird. He caused no harm in the story, yet ended up getting hurt anyways, much like the mockingbird that Miss Maudie Atkinson describes.Aunt Alexandra Hancock
Alexandra Hancock (néeMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Finch) is Atticus Finch's sister, married to James "Uncle Jimmy" Hancock. She has a son named Henry and a very spoiled grandson named Francis. Her husband, James, remains at Finch's Landing, the Finch family homestead, and, as she told Jem upon her arrival that, "he'll keep the place going." She stays with the Finches because she does not find the black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Calpurnia a satisfactory maternal figure, and because she wants to make Scout into a Southern belle
Southern belle
A southern belle is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South's upper class....
. She disapproves of Scout being a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
and unsuccessfully encourages her to act like a "lady". This is the cause of many conflicts between Scout and Alexandra throughout the course of the novel.
She feels guilty and partially responsible when Scout and Jem are attacked by Bob Ewell, then after she gives up on making Scout a lady and even gives Scout back her overalls, (although she is in a shocked daze whilst she does so, apparently not aware she even is giving back Scout her overalls. Scout herself doesn't even notice the implications at that time, being in shock herself, as she notes that if she were, she'd never let Alexandra forget it.)
Uncle John Hale "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. He is 10 years younger than Atticus; he is about 40.Uncle Jack is described as smelling like alcohol and something sweet. Scout and Jem love him. He is a doctor who has a good sense of humour, and makes Scout and Jem laugh while performing small services for them. He and Maudie Atkinson are close to the same age; he frequently teases her with marriage proposals, which she declines. He also has a pet cat named Rose Aylmer, and did not want his niece, Scout, to swear while he was around. He also does not have any children.Francis Hancock
Francis was the spoiled grandson of Alexandra. He was the son of her son, Henry Hancock. On Christmas, Henry and his unnamed wife would drop Francis at his parent's place at Finch's Landing, and would go on their own pleasures. According to the story, he lived in Mobile, AlabamaMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, which meant that he couldn't tell on Scout to school officials, but he would tell his grandmother, who would tell Atticus who would either punish her or even forgot about it, whichever fit the situation. Francis got along well with Jem, but often sparred with Scout. One Christmas, Francis called Atticus a "nigger-lover" which infuriated Scout and caused them to get into a fight. Francis lied about his role in it, telling Uncle Jack that Scout started it and called him a whore lady causing Scout to be punished. However, Scout explained the full story, and charitibly persuaded her uncle not to punish him about it, but to let Atticus think they had been fighting about something else. He is also considered to be a cousin of Scout, due to their closeness in age, although he is biologically Scout's cousin-once-removed. He is also 8 years old
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose
Mrs. Dubose is an elderly woman who lives near the Finch's. She is hated by the children, who run by her house to avoid her. Scout describes Mrs. Dubose as 'plain hell.' A virulent racistRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, 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
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
to morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
. 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
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
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 true courage and endurance when the situation is hopeless, as in her morphine addiction. Soon after Atticus explains why Mrs. Dubose sent him the flower, Jem learns to admire it.
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 singing and dipping, every once in a while he will shoot a spit into his spittoon. He seems to have no views on anything, until he presides over the Tom Robinson trial, in which he shows great distaste for the Ewells and shows great respect for Atticus. Although he agrees on the strong case that Atticus gave to prove that Tom Robinson is innocent, he is unable to pardon Tom because of the ignorant jury that declared Tom guilty. Because of this, he was threatened, when it was alleged that Bob Ewell broke into his house while his wife was at church. 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 Maxwell Green, a new, untried lawyer, who usually received court appointed cases.Heck Tate
Heck Tate is a friend of Atticus and also the sheriff of Maycomb County. 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 expertise with firearms (which Atticus had previously tried to conceal from his children) by asking him to shoot a rabidRabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
dog. Heck is a decent man who tries to protect the innocent from danger. Like Atticus, he seems to be one of the few in Maycomb County who is not viciously prejudiced against the Negro community. He is described as tall as Atticus but thinner, always wearing boots and boot-cut pants with a belt of bullets. He is a static character, holding onto his basic principles throughout the events of the story.
Mr. Braxton Underwood
Mr. Braxton Bragg (B.B.) Underwood is a news reporter and is Atticus' friend. He owns and also publishes The Maycomb Tribune. Being a racist, he disagrees with Atticus on principle but has a strong bond with him, as exemplified when he defends Atticus from the Cunningham mob by having his double barrel shotgun loaded and ready to shoot them. He also demonstrates some humanity when he publishes a scathing editorial comparing the killing of Tom Robinson (a cripple) to "the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children".Mr. Gilmer
Horace Gilmer is a lawyer from Abbottsville, and is the prosecuting attorney in the Tom Robinson case. Mr. Gilmer appeared to be racist in his harsh cross-examination of Tom Robinson, but it is hinted at that he was in fact going easy on Tom. Mr. Gilmer was defending Bob Ewell, even though he knows that Bob beats Mayella.Dr. Reynolds
Dr. Reynolds is the Maycomb doctor. 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 white man who has children with a black woman. He pretends he is an alcoholic, but he only drinks "Coca ColaCoca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
" out of a paperbag. He does this to put the people of Maycomb at ease, to give them a reason why he lived with a black woman and had mixed children. 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 simply need to pretend you are something when you really are not. He was engaged to marry a woman named Spencer, but she committed suicide on the wedding day. It is said that she shot herself by "pulling the trigger of a gun with her toes, and it blew her head off." He is jaded by the hypocrisy of the white society and prefers to live among black folks.
Link Deas
Link Deas owns cotton fields in Maycomb who employs Tom and later Helen because she does not get accepted by any other employers in the county due to Tom Robinson's legal troubles. 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, which causes Judge Taylor to throw him out of the court room. 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", (which is really how library books are organized.) She is upset that Scout is far more advanced in reading than the rest of her class, and doesn't like that she is receiving lessons from her father, Atticus. In an effort to standardize the class she forbids Scout from reading. Once again Atticus asks Scout to step into Ms. Caroline's skin, but continues to allow Scout to read with him at night so long as she continues to go to school. She has good intentions, but proves quite incompetent as a teacher. When Scout tells Miss Fisher that she shamed a student by giving him lunch money, she raps Scout's palms with a ruler (a punishment unheard of in Maycomb). She is also very sensitive and gets emotionally hurt quite easily, as seen when Burris Ewell yells at her, "Report and be damned to ye! Ain't no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c'n make me do nothin'! You ain't makin' me go nowhere, missus. You just remember that, you ain't makin' me go nowhere!" After the Burris Ewell incident, Miss Caroline is seldom seen and soon forgotten.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 to donate 10 dollars for Tom Robinson's family since at the time, wife Helen was having trouble finding 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 an example how the black community accepts the Finches, and they in turn accept the black community.Zeebo
Zeebo, Calpurnia's oldest son. 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. He is also the garbage man of Maycomb, taking away dead Tim Johnson, the rabid dog.Stephanie Crawford
Stephanie Crawford is the neighborhood gossip, who claimed that she once saw Boo Radley from her bedroom standing outside of her cleaned window one night. Crawford 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 Lane cakeLane cake
A Lane Cake, also known as a 'Prize Cake' or an 'Alabama Lane Cake' is a bourbon-laden baked cake traditional in the American South. According to food scholar Neil Ravenna, the inventor was Mrs. Emma Rylander Lane, of Clayton, Alabama, who won first prize with it at the county fair in Columbus,...
recipe. She is thrilled to pass on gossip to the kids about Boo Radley. She witnessed Bob Ewell's threatening Atticus at the Post Office corner as she was returning from the local Jitney Jungle
Jitney Jungle
Jitney Jungle was a chain of supermarkets that began in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1919.-Origins:Originally, brothers Judson McCarty Holman and William Henry Holman and their cousin William Bonner McCarty founded a charge-and-carry grocery store in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1912...
grocery store.
Rachel Haverford
Miss Rachel Haverford is Dill's aunt and the Finch's next door neighbor. She drank neat whiskey heavily (due to her seeing a rattlesnake coiled in her closet, on her washing, when she hung her negligee up.) and was somewhat like her neighbors. Her trademark line was "Doo Jesus!" and even though she could be very hard to deal with, she truly did love her nephew, and eventually got to realizing that he loved to visit her. She was also a close friend of Alexandria. Her family name, in the legends of Maycomb County was that it was synomymous with good for nothing. Two of her relations had murdered the community's blacksmith over one of their mares being wrongfully detained; were imprudent enough to have done so in the presence of witnesses and then insisted that the blacksmith had it coming to him. They tried to urge the court to pled not guilty to first degree murder, but the court refused, and they were then hanged. The Haverford relations were Atticus' first case as a lawyer.Helen Robinson
Helen Robinson is the wife of Tom Robinson. She is spoken about many times. She has 3 children. Employed by Link Deas following the death of her husband, she is repeatedly harassed by Bob Ewell when traveling to work. Upon learning of this, Deas threatens Ewell, forcing him to stop. She is an example of how one person's actions can have an effect on a lot of people and she elucidates the hardships that surround the Tom Robinson case.Nathan Radley
Nathan Radley is the older brother of Arthur "Boo" Radley and another difficult character. When the children try to catch a view on his brother "Boo", he shoots at them in the yard (albeit thinking he was aiming at a black person), but they escape. Besides, Nathan fills up a knothole in which Arthur leaves little gifts for the children. On the other hand he helps Miss Maudie saving her belongings when her house is on fire. He is more present than his brother, but not less mysterious.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. When Jem is forced to stay reading to Mrs. Dubose, Jessie kindly leads Jem and Scout to the door when Mrs. Dubose's alarm goes off.Burris Ewell
Burris Ewell is a son of Mr. Ewell and a younger sibling of Mayella Ewell. Burris is the first antagonist seen in the novel, as well as being chiefly antagonistic of Little Chuck Little and his teacher Miss Caroline Fisher. He comes to the first day of school, but departs just as everyone else in his family does. He has live lice in his hair. Burris also scared his teacher Caroline Fisher and behaves rudely when she tells him to go home, wash his hair, and come back clean the next day, but he refuses, explaining to her that Ewell children don't attend school. All they do is show up for the first day, get marked down on the register, and then they miss the entire school year until the first day of the next year. She later finds out and is explained to more carefully by the children in the class as she weeps because of Burris's rude behavior. His famous quote was, "Report and be damned to ye! Ain't no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c'n make me do nothin'! You ain't makin' me go nowhere, missus. You just remember that, you ain't makin' me go nowhere!" As of Scout's first year of school (the first grade), Burris has repeated the first grade three times.Lula
Lula is the angry African-American woman who confronts Calpurnia when she brings Jem and Scout to the First Purchase A.M.E. Church. Unlike the other people at the Church, she confronts Jem and Scout with resentment, paralleling how many white people discriminate black people. Because of her attitude, she is asked to leave First Purchase 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, married to Mr. Merriweather. She says the "sinners" in the North are hypocrites for setting the negroes free, but not inviting them to eat with them. She complains about her cooks and field hands complaining. She adores J. Grimes Everett and constantly talks about the "poor Mrunas" and their "lack of family mortality." She tells Everett that "the ladies of the Maycomb Alabama Methodist Episcopal Church South are behind him one hundred percent." She is mostly known for her devotion to the church. She is very hypocritical and loves to gossip with all the other ladies.Walter Cunningham, Jr.
Walter Cunningham, Jr. is a child 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 because the Great Depression hit his poor family hard. He is invited over to the Finch's house once, after engaging in a fight with Scout, where he covers up all of his dinner with molasses, much to Scout's dislike. This teaches Scout a lesson in humility and compassion.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 leads the mob who tries to lynch Tom Robinson the night before the trial. Only when Scout comes and talks to him about his son, does he turn his back and leaves with the mob. Scout innocently shames him because Scout reminds him of all the things that Atticus has done for him and for Maycomb County. After the verdict is told in the trial, Atticus tells Jem that Mr. Walter Cunningham had changed his thoughts about Tom. Walter had indeed pleaded that Tom was not guilty to the jury.Mr. Avery
Mr. Dick Avery is an overweight neighbor who tells Jem and Scout that the weather only changes because of bad children like them. After it snows, they build a snowman resembling him.Miss Gates
Miss Gates is a teacher at Scout's school who insists that America isn't prejudiced like HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Despite this, Scout has heard her say that the blacks need to be taught a lesson after Tom's trial.
Little Chuck Little
Little Chuck Little is a student in Scout's first grade class who has the mindset of an adult. He is depicted as chiefly antagonistic of Burris Ewell. He is presented in the novel when Miss Caroline is frightened by Burris' lice. He warned Miss Caroline that if Burris wasn't released from class, he might try something that would put their fellow classmates at risk. When Burris starts advancing on Little Chuck after his warning/veiled insult, Little Chuck's hand moved to his pocket (implying that he was going to pull out a knife) while saying, "Watch your step, Burris. I'd soon's kill you as soon as look at you. Now go home." Scared by Little Chuck's threat and his implied knife, Burris retreated from the classroom. From this we see, through the narrative view of Scout, his gentlemanly attitude and how it calms Miss Caroline down. Little Chuck may be even more intelligent than originally meets the eye, as he easily could have been bluffing about the aforementioned implied knife to scare Burris into retreat.Eula May
Eula May is Maycomb's most prominent telephone operator. She sends out public announcements, invitations, and activates the fire alarm. She announced the closing of schools when it snowed and announced the rabid dog that entered Maycomb.Cecil Jacobs
Cecil Jacobs is a friend of Scout and Jem at school. Scout almost gets into a fight with Cecil over the trial of Tom Robinson. Scout beats up Cecil Jacobs because he says Atticus was a "Nigger Lover." He was identified as the child who gave a current event on 'Old Adolf Hitler', and later, he frightened Scout and Jem on their way to the Halloween pageant. He and Scout then paired up at the carnival; at the pageant afterwards, Scout was to be a ham, while Cecil was a cow. He hinted that black people were not as good as white people while talking about hitler during current events.he also likes to take jokes to far.Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson is a dog belonging to Harry Johnson (a character in the book who is mentioned once and seen never). He is infected by rabiesRabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
in chapter 10 and goes mad, putting everyone in the town at risk. Atticus is forced to shoot Tim Johnson before he reaches the Radley House [or, for that case, anyone]. When Atticus shoots the dog, his superb marksmanship is revealed to Scout and Jem (his nickname used to be One-Shot Finch). Tim Johnson is successfully shot and killed. His body is collected by Zeebo.