TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD CHARACTER LIST
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.
Calpurnia
The Finches’ black cook. Calpurnia is a stern disciplinarian and the children’s bridge between the white
world and her own black community.
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.
Charles Baker “Dil l” 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.
Miss Maud ie 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.
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.
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.
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.
