To Kill a Mockingbird: Character Profiles

SECTION A: Main Characters

Scout Finch:

Scout (Jean Louise Finch) is the narrator and protagonist of the novel.
She is intelligent and not afraid to challenge stereotypical feminine norms.
Throughout the novel, her innocence is gradually replaced by a mature understanding of the world and its injustices.

Jem Finch:

Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch) is Scout’s older brother.
Jem’s character embodies the theme of moral education in the book.
His sense of justice and fair play evolves significantly through the course of the story.

Atticus Finch:

Scout and Jem’s father is a highly respected lawyer and the moral backbone of Maycomb.
Atticus’s actions are driven by strong values of justice, equality and empathy.
His parenting style significantly shapes and influences Scout and Jem’s understanding of the world.

Boo Radley:

An elusive, almost mythic character, Boo Radley is misunderstood and seen as a figure of fear by the children.
Boo’s character is an exploration of the concept of innocence and goodness being camouflaged by fear and prejudice.

Tom Robinson:

A black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell; his case themes racism and prejudice.
Despite the significant evidence favoring Tom, the biased social system unjustly convicts him purely due to his race.

SECTION B: Supporting Characters

Mayella Ewell:

A poor, uneducated white woman who accuses Tom Robinson of rape.
Her character is at the intersection of Race, Class, and Gender and represents both victim and villain of the story.

Bob Ewell:

Mayella’s abusive father, who represents the dark side of the South and the destructive force of ignorance and hatred.
Despite being white, the Ewells are considered the lowest class in Maycomb society due to their behaviour and living conditions.

Miss Maudie Atkinson:

A wise and caring friend to the Finch children and represented as a rare, enlightened woman in a town steeped with prejudice.
Provides Scout with insight and perspective about the happenings around them.

Calpurnia:

The Finch’s housekeeper and a strict yet loving maternal figure to Scout and Jem.
Calpurnia also symbolises the tenuous status of black women in Southern society.

Attending to each character’s motivations, growth, or lack thereof, and the relationships between characters can provide valuable depth to your analysis of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Characters not only drive the plot, but illuminate the novel’s underlying themes, and understanding them will navigate you towards a comprehensive understanding of Harper Lee’s seminal work.