By the end of the book, it's clear that Alexandra cares very much for her niece and nephew, though she and Scout will probably never really get along.[5]. Ain't no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born can make me do nothin'! Every Christmas, Henry and his wife drop Francis at Finch's Landing, which is the only time Scout and Jem see him. While Scout always hears her speak proper English, she is surprised to learn that Calpurnia does not do so at church, especially with the uneducated members of the congregation. Mr. Hector "Heck" Tate, the sheriff of Maycomb County, is a friend of Atticus. Even though she can be very hard to deal with, she truly does love her nephew. Francis Hancock is the spoiled grandson of Aunt Alexandra. Mr. Tate rose, but she declined assistance. His father paid Atticus for his service for something a while back with some goods. Crawford is one of the first on the scene after a loud gunshot is heard behind the Radley house. Despite this, Scout has heard her say that the blacks need to be taught a lesson after Tom's trial. She has a son named Henry and a very spoiled grandson named Francis. She feels as though Scout is trying to outsmart and mock her. [1] She wrote the novel Go Set a Watchman in the mid-1950s and published it in July 2015 as a sequel to Mockingbird, but it was later confirmed to be merely her first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. Over the course of the novel’s three years, Scout grows from six to nine years old. He appears only 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 firewood, vegetables, and other supplies. He’s a tall and slender man who wears cowboy boots. At the beginning of Go Set a Watchman, an earlier draft of To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem has already died of the heart condition which killed their mother. He is the moral center of the story. While everyone in the novel is filtered through Scout's perception, Calpurnia appears for a long time more as Scout's idea of her than as a real person. His famous quote was, "Report and be damned to ye! -Graham S. The racist patriarch of the Ewell family, which lives behind the Maycomb dump. He is well known to Scout and Jem. This is the cause of many conflicts between Scout and her aunt. He is accused and put on trial for the rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell. He and Scout then pair up at the carnival. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Alexandra Hancock (née Finch) is Atticus' and Jack's sister, married to James "Uncle Jimmy" Hancock. She is thrilled to pass on gossip to the kids about Boo Radley, and claimed to have witnessed Bob Ewell's threatening Atticus at the Post Office corner as she was returning from the local Jitney Jungle grocery store. He is seen to have a greater understanding of the obstacles thrown their way. She shoos the children out when Mrs. Dubose has her fits, and does seem to care enormously for Mrs. Dubose. Mayella is played by Collin Wilcox in the film. He was married, with one son, eight daughters. Mr. Gilmer is between the ages of forty and sixty. Her family name, in the legends of Maycomb County, is synonymous with jackass. One Christmas, Francis calls Atticus a "nigger-lover," as well as insisting that he was ruining the family and the likes, which infuriates Scout and causes them to get into a fight. One night Dill runs away from his home in Meridian, arriving in Maycomb County where he hides under Scout's bed. Jem's progression into adult maturity is apparent throughout the course of the novel. In thanks, she leaves him a candy box with a camellia flower in it; Jem burns the box in anger but is later seen by Scout admiring the flower. She gets into trouble with Miss Caroline, her teacher because she is expected to learn reading and writing her way. They were originally from Clanton, Alabama; and are rumored to be Republicans. At the end of the book, Atticus and Heck argue over whether Jem or Boo Radley should be held responsible for the death of Bob Ewell. When an alarm rings, Jem is allowed to leave for the day. Key Concepts: ... Mr. Dolphus Raymond - Wealthy, white man - Has black white and mixed children - Kind of lost in society - Prefers to live among blacks. He is too poor to even pay off a 25-cent debt because the Great Depression hit his poor family hard. Heck Tate, the sheriff, puts in the official report that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife and died after lying under a tree for 45 minutes. You just remember that, you ain't makin' me go nowhere!" Scout says that he "had brought Jem and me into the world, had led 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. Miss Gates is a third-grade teacher at Scout's school who insists that America isn't prejudiced like Hitler's Germany. Mrs. Grace Merriweather is the producer of the play in which Scout plays as a ham. Because she is the neighborhood gossip, it is unwise to think of anything she says as true, because most of the time it is not. He is also an apothecary. Before the trial, Mayella is noted for growing red geraniums outside her otherwise dirty home in order to bring some beauty into her life. She matures from age 6 to age 9 as the novel progresses but remains naive and idealistic, despite an increased understanding of human nature and racism in her town. Mr. Gilmer was extremely racist when he harshly cross examined Tom. The To Kill a Mockingbird study guide contains a biography of Harper Lee, literature essays, ⦠The Barber Sisters (Miss Sarah, nicknamed "Tutti" and Miss Frances, nicknamed "Frutti") are maiden sisters who live in the only house in Maycomb with a cellar. During the trial, when the courtroom was too packed for the children to find seats, Reverend Sykes lets the kids sit with him up in the colored balcony and even saves their seats for them. He is depicted as chiefly antagonistic of Burris Ewell. The To Kill a Mockingbird study guide contains a biography of Harper Lee, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Atticus is forced to shoot Tim Johnson before he reaches the Radley House or attacks anyone. When she finds Dill, he tells both Scout and Atticus that he was chained to a wall in his father's basement; later, he confesses he actually ran away because he felt he was being replaced by his stepfather. The sheriff in Maycomb. Aunt Alexandra despised Calpurnia because Alexandra believed that Calpurnia was not a "maternal figure" for Jem and Scout, especially for Scout. He is unwanted and unloved by his mother and stepfather. One does not love breathing." Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose was the bravest person he ever knew and that she was trying to teach Jem the importance of bravery and true courage to endure anything when the situation is hopeless, as in her morphine addiction. The children concoct many plans to lure Boo Radley out of his house for a few summers until Atticus tells them to stop. According to Calpurnia's son Zeebo, Lula's said to be, "a troublemaker from way back, with fancy ideas and haughty ways." When she suffers a house fire, she shows remarkable courage throughout, even saying that she had wanted to burn it down herself to make more room for her flowers. Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960. LitCharts Teacher Editions. He is presented in the novel when Miss Caroline is frightened by Burris' lice. Dill is the best friend of both Jem and Scout, and his goal throughout the novel is to get Boo Radley to come out of his house. She is portrayed by Mary Badham in the film. Zeebo is one of just four people in First Purchase Church who can read, so he is the vocal leader, leading hymns in their church by "lining"—reading a line of verse and having the congregation repeat it. Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch is Atticus' son and Scout's older brother by four years. He doesn't take money because his family can't pay people back in cash. When Dill and Scout discover that he is not a drunk, they are amazed. The dog's body is collected by Zeebo. She wrote the novel Go Set a Watchman in the mid-1950s and published it in July 2015 as a sequel to Mockingbird, but it was later confirmed to ⦠Atticus informs him that Mrs. Dubose was terminally ill and had become addicted to morphine. Her father sees this through a window and in punishment he beats her. He is portrayed by Gregory Peck in the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. Use this CliffsNotes To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide today to ace your next test! She comments on how she could not understand something at the time but now can appreciate it. These are the list of main characters in the book called "To Kill A Mockingbird" and says their importance. Scout pictures what it would be like to be Radley. Being a racist, he disagrees with Atticus on principle. Being only six, Scout does not know how to handle such situations, so she tries to resolve her problems by fighting, or by talking to Atticus about what she has heard. African Church in Maycomb County, where most if not all of the African-American characters go to church. Atticus asks Scout to step into Miss Caroline's skin. By doing this, Judge Taylor was not giving in or supporting racism. Instantly successful, widely read in high schools and middle schools in the United States, it has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize. The Foot-Washing Baptists also believe that women are a sin "by definition". X was the name he had been given when he was born because his parents marked his birth certificate with an X instead of a name. To Kill a Mockingbird has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize. He was asked repeated times what his name was until he signed it. She mentions that Judge Taylor's appointing Atticus to defend Tom was no accident. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Mockingbirds symbolize innocence and beauty in the novel. Judge Taylor. Walter is invited over to the Finches' house once, after engaging in a fight with Scout, where he covers up all of his dinner with molasses, much to Scout's vocal dismay. He owns and also publishes The Maycomb Tribune. Burris has lice. Nathan seals the knothole with cement. She is played by Estelle Evans in the film. Atticus uses this fact as the cornerstone of his defense strategy, pointing out that the nature of Mayella's facial injuries strongly suggests a left-handed assailant. She is a friend of Alexandra Hancock. He thrust his head around the connecting door. Employed by Link Deas following the death of her husband, she is repeatedly harassed by Bob Ewell when traveling to work. Aunt Alexandra doesn't consider the black Calpurnia to be a good motherly figure for Jem and Scout; she disapproves of Scout being a tomboy. He is referred to in the first chapter of the book, being a direct ancestor of Atticus. Stephanie Crawford is the neighborhood gossip, who claimed that she saw Boo Radley from her bedroom standing outside of her cleaned window one night. She sends out public announcements, invitations, and activates the fire alarm. Miss Maudie befriends Scout and Jem and tells them stories about Atticus as a boy. Francis lies about his role in it, telling Uncle Jack that Scout started it by calling him a "whore lady", and Jack therefore punishes Scout. Instant downloads of all 1411 LitChart PDFs Judge John Taylor runs his court in an informal fashion with the enjoyment of singing and dipping tobacco. Calpurnia is a mother herself and raised her son, Zeebo, to adulthood. Finch is determined and dedicated to trying to protect Maycomb County from racism and bigotry, as well as protecting his young children, Jem (11) & Scout (6), from prejudice. Unlike most Caucasian Southern men portrayed in the novel, Finch is someone ⦠Ewell is played by James Anderson in the film. He is about 40. He is played by John Megna in the film. When Bob Ewell starts threatening Helen, Tom Robinson's wife, after the trial, Mr. Deas fiercely defends her and threatens to have Ewell arrested if he keeps bothering her. She’s bright, precocious, and a tomboy. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee. The novel’s protagonist. Jem starts to have a different understanding of Radley. He is a Cornish Methodist and emigrated from England to avoid religious persecution, landing in Philadelphia before settling in Alabama. She is spoken about a few times. It is strongly implied that she and Atticus have a more than a platonic relationship. After the verdict is given in the trial, Atticus tells Jem that one of the Cunninghams had changed his thoughts about Tom and pleaded that Tom was not guilty to the jury. She’s ancient and unspeakably mean, shouting abuse from her porch at everyone, even children. Instantly successful, widely read in high schools and middle schools in the United States, it has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize. He was also an honest person, he tried to help everyone he could. He has a daughter named Mayella and a younger son named Burris, as well as six other unnamed children. 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. To Kill A Mockingbird: Character Chart Character Description Jean Louise Finch ... Mr. Underwood The writer, editor, and publisher of Maycomb's newspaper. Atticus plans to appeal the verdict, but before he can do so, Tom is shot and killed while trying to escape the prison where he is being held. Because of the judge's sympathies for Tom, Bob Ewell attempts to break into the judge's house while the judge's wife is at church. Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his children against prejudice.