Character To Kill a Mocking Bird Harper Lee

Scout Finch  - Jean Louise Finch:

• Unusual little girl, Intelligent, (learns to read before school), (fights boys without fear)
• Worries about goodness and Evil
• Always acts with the best intentions
• Tomboy type
• Unusually thoughtful
  
• Father Atticus has nurtured her mind, conscience individuality.
• Not like other girls, scout wears overalls and learns to climb trees with Jem & Dill
• She does not always grasp soul niceties ex: she tells her teacher that one of her fellow student is too poor to pay her back for lunch.
• Human behavior often baffles her. Ex: one of her teachers criticizes Hilter’s prejudice against Jews while indulging in her own prejudice against blacks.
• At the beginning she is an innocent good-hearted she faces racial prejudice.
• Atticus taught her wisdom
• Scout learns that though humanity has a great capacity for good and evil can be mitigated if one approaches other with as outlook of sympathy and understanding.
• Though she is a still child at the end of the book Scout perspective on life develops from that of an innocent child info that of a near grown – up.
• Loyal to her family
• Narrator of the story 

Atticus Finch

• One of the prominent citizens of Maycomb during the great depression.
• Atticus is well off because of his intelligence, calm, wisdom and behaviour
• Respected by all of Maycomb.  He is a moral back bone of Maycomb
• Such an admirable person falls out in Tom Robinson’s case
• Unable to abide the racial prejudices
• Agrees to defend Tom Robinson a black man falsely accused of raping by Bob Ewella
• Was faced many criticism and threats for appearing for Tom Robinson
• Practices what he preaches to his daughter and son
  
• He teaches ethics of sympathy and understanding
• Never hold grudge against Maycom people despite of their racial inequality
• He recognizes that people have both good and evil character.  He admires the good while understand and forgive the evil
• Ironical Atticus though a heroic figure, admire and respected by all, neither Jem or Scout idolizes him.
• Both his children are embarrassed that he is older than other fathers. And does not hunt or fish.
• He is an excellent parent
• Wants to e a good example to his children
• Scout and Jem are devoted to Atticus
• He stands strong and brave in all situations
• Rigid to justice
• No transformation in his character
• So perfect from the beginning to the end
• He was a moral guide and voice of conscience 

Calpurnia

• Black cook for Atticus family
• Stern disciplinarian, demanding
• Bridge between the white and black
• Had had a difficult and painful life
• Functions as window in the world of the blacks
  
• Guards scout and Jem when they go to church.
• Long suffering and grateful to the good white people who are not racist
• Positive influence on Scout
• Silent about the issues of racism for she knows the results
• She teaches Scout about empathy
• She represents the sufferings of her own black community

 
Jem Finch -Jeramy Atticus Finch

• Sone of Atticus
• Caring older brother of Scout, friend of Dill
• Imaginative, kind, brave, curious and practical
• Bossy to his sister
• Stubborn and commanding
• superiority complex towards his sister
• Jem along with scout make up the plot to a great level
• His relationship with Scout was understandable
• He never allows his sister for rough plays
• Jem’s thoughts are not visible and clear to his sister
  
• Jem at times behaves as Scout’s teacher
• Jem is very supporting to his father Atticus and accepts his wishes
• Atticus was his inspiration
• Faces turbulent situation at his childhood stage
• Life becomes complicated when he was entering puberty
• Atticus teaches him morality and various ethics of life
• Jem needs time to process what he has learned
• Innocence of Jem transforms after the trail of Tom Robinson
• He finds good in Boo -quite unexpected
• He shows signs of learning positive lessons from various incidents around him
• Sometime he struggles to find out the reality of the world
• Tom Robinson trial makes Jem to loose faith in humanity. 

Boo Radley

• Scout’s neighbor
• A recluse who comes out at night
• Becomes a receptable for the town’s fears and superstitions
• Many gossips around Boo family
• Boo has been mistreated by his father
• Speaks once in the novel but his presence is felt throughout the story
  
• No transformation in his character
• Develops empathy
• Genuinely kind and protective of the children
• His motives are clear and clever
• Scout intends the reader to count Boo among the good ones
• Towards the end one can understand boo’s courage empathy, community and the law
• Victims of discrimination like Tom Robinson
• Saves the children from Bob and gives a  clear picture to the confused readers 

Bob Ewell

• The racist of the Ewell family which lives behind the Maycomb dump
• He is aggressive, drunkard, wrong behaviours
• Its is useless to punish him for hunting out of the season
• Spends most of the money on alcohol
  
• He is vulgar, rude, racist and uneducated
• During the trial Bob beat Mayella his daughter and blamed Robinson
• Mr. Bob has sexually abused Mayella his daughter in the past. She says, “what my papa do to me does not count”
• After winning the case Mr. Bob tries to take revenge on everyone who were against him
• He tries to hurt and insult Jem and Scout.
• Paid well for the pain and suffering he caused to others. 

Tom Robinson

• 25-year-old black man
• Tom is kind, a church goes and a married father of three children
• Beloved by all member of the black community
• Honest employee of Mr. Deas
• Tom is physically handicapped but his race is a bigger disability in the Maycomb
• His strengths are:  very hopeful, good husband and loving father and compassionate
• His weakness is:  not enough information to his weakness
• A black man wrongly accused of attacking or raping a white woman Mayella Well.
• Tom is found guilty as he is black many are keen in his punishment because of his color of his skin
  
• Lack of evidence led to wrong punishment
• He was sentenced to imprisonment
• The guards hoot and kill him when he tries to escape from the prison
• He is the symbol of Racism
• Harper lee brings out the main theme by Tom
•  He is the symbol of mocking bird, as innocent as the bird but was killed due to his color of his skin
• Tom’s life ends when he desires to live, no one came to support him as the black society is too weak
• No motivation for his attack on a white woman in the fearful atmosphere it’s just an assumption
• Tom feels pity and compassion for Mayella

to be continued...........