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Scout Finch
The narrator and protagonist of the story. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their Black cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb. She is intelligent and, by the standards of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout has a combative streak and a basic faith in the goodness of the people in her community. As the novel progresses, this faith is tested by the hatred and prejudice that emerge during Tom Robinson’s trial. Scout eventually develops a more grown-up perspective that enables her to appreciate human goodness without ignoring human evil.
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Atticus Finch
Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. A widower with a dry sense of humor, Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb committed to racial equality. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a Black man charged with raping a white woman, he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the white community. With his strongly held convictions, wisdom, and empathy, Atticus functions as the novel’s moral backbone.
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Jem Finch
Scout’s brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story. Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch is something of a typical American boy, refusing to back down from dares and fantasizing about playing football. Four years older than Scout, he gradually separates himself from her games, but he remains her close companion and protector throughout the novel. Jem moves into adolescence during the story, and his ideals are shaken badly by the evil and injustice that he perceives during the trial of Tom Robinson.
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Arthur “Boo” Radley
A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportune moment to save the children. An intelligent child emotionally damaged by his cruel father, Boo provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness. He is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” a good person injured by the evil of mankind.
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Calpurnia
The Finches’ Black cook. Calpurnia is a stern disciplinarian and the children’s bridge between the white world and her own Black community.
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Bob Ewell
A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycomb’s poorest family. In his knowingly wrongful accusation that Tom Robinson raped his daughter, Ewell represents the dark side of the South: ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice.
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Charles Baker “Dill” Harris
Jem and Scout’s summer neighbor and friend. Dill is a diminutive, confident boy with an active imagination. He becomes fascinated with Boo Radley and represents the perspective of childhood innocence throughout the novel.
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Miss Maudie Atkinson
The Finches’ neighbor, a sharp-tongued widow, and an old friend of the family. Miss Maudie is almost the same age as Atticus’s younger brother, Jack. She shares Atticus’s passion for justice and is the children’s best friend among Maycomb’s adults.
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Aunt Alexandra
Atticus’s sister, a strong-willed woman with a fierce devotion to her family. Alexandra is the perfect Southern lady, and her commitment to propriety and tradition often leads her to clash with Scout.
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Mayella Ewell
Bob Ewell’s abused, lonely, unhappy daughter. Though one can pity Mayella because of her overbearing father, one cannot pardon her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson.
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Tom Robinson
The Black field hand accused of rape. Tom is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” an important symbol of innocence destroyed by evil.
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Link Deas
Tom Robinson’s employer. In his willingness to look past race and praise the integrity of Tom’s character, Deas epitomizes the opposite of prejudice.
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Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose
An elderly, ill-tempered, racist woman who lives near the Finches. Although Jem believes that Mrs. Dubose is a thoroughly bad woman, Atticus admires her for the courage with which she battles her morphine addiction.
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Nathan Radley
Boo Radley’s older brother. Scout thinks that Nathan is similar to the deceased Mr. Radley, Boo and Nathan’s father. Nathan cruelly cuts off an important element of Boo’s relationship with Jem and Scout when he plugs up the knothole in which Boo leaves presents for the children.
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Heck Tate
The sheriff of Maycomb and a major witness at Tom Robinson’s trial. Heck is a decent man who tries to protect the innocent from danger.
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Mr. Underwood
The publisher of Maycomb’s newspaper. Mr. Underwood respects Atticus and proves to be his ally.
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Mr. Dolphus Raymond
A wealthy white man who lives with his Black mistress and multiracial children. Raymond pretends to be a drunk so that the citizens of Maycomb will have an explanation for his behavior. In reality, he is simply jaded by the hypocrisy of white society and prefers living among Black people.
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Mr. Walter Cunningham
A poor farmer and part of the mob that seeks to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail. Mr. Cunningham displays his human goodness when Scout’s politeness compels him to disperse the men at the jail.
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Walter Cunningham
Son of Mr. Walter Cunningham and classmate of Scout. Walter cannot afford lunch one day at school and accidentally gets Scout in trouble.
Miss Caroline
Scout’s teacher during her first year of school. An outsider who is unfamiliar with Maycomb’s residents and way of life, Miss Caroline draws the ire of her students as she attempts to introduce new ways of learning in the classroom.
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Reverend Sykes
The reverend of First Purchase African M.E. Church. He readily welcomes Scout and Jem when they attend a Sunday service with Calpurnia, and he keeps an eye on them as they watch the Robinson trial from the balcony.
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Judge Taylor
The judge who presides over Tom Robinson’s trial. Although he comes across to many as relaxed and rather uninterested, Judge Taylor takes great care to ensure order in his courtroom. The mutual respect that he and Atticus have for one another that emerges throughout the Robinson case.
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Uncle Jack
Atticus’s younger brother. A doctor by trade, Uncle Jack is naturally warm and seeks to ensure the well-being of others. Scout and Jem look forward to his Christmastime visits every year, although conflict arises when he urges his niece to act more ladylike.
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Miss Stephanie Crawford
Maycomb’s primary source of gossip. Miss Stephanie loves to speculate about current events and share her thoughts with her neighbors. Although she is a kind woman, she is rather untrustworthy.
Miss Rachel Haverford
The Finches’ next-door neighbor and Dill’s aunt. A very particular and high-strung woman, she is quick to express concern over Dill’s whereabouts and behaviors.
Grace Merriweather
A member of Aunt Alexandra’s missionary circle. Mrs. Merriweather is unafraid to speak her mind and believes strongly in the need to Christianize indigenous tribes abroad. As concerned as she is about people whom she has never met, she actively dismisses the needs of Maycomb’s Black community.
Mr. Avery
A neighbor of the Finches. Although Mr. Avery is often dismissive of the children, Scout, Jem, and Dill enjoy watching him engage in a series of odd habits. He gains even more notoriety in the neighborhood, however, when he bravely tries to save items from Miss Maudie’s burning home.
Mr. Radley
Boo Radley’s father. Mr. Radley is a very harsh and rigid man who seems to do little except walk to and from town. When he dies, his oldest son, Nathan, returns to Maycomb to take his place in the Radley household.
Helen Robinson
Tom’s wife. Although she only appears briefly in the novel, Helen’s devastating response to the news of Tom’s death signifies the significant emotional impact that the trial has had on their community as a whole. Her attempts to support her family in the wake of tragedy are complicated by the Ewells’ incessant intimidation tactics, but she refuses to let them stop her from going to work.
Horace Gilmer
The prosecutor representing Bob Ewell in the Robinson trial. While the children recognize that Mr. Gilmer is merely doing his job by supporting his client, they are disturbed by the way in which he talks down to Tom during his cross-examination.
Lula
A member of the congregation at First Purchase Church. Lula gets upset when Calpurnia brings Jem and Scout along, arguing that white children have no place in a Black church. This reaction represents her broader distrust and resentment toward the white citizens of Maycomb.
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