To Kill a Mockingbird

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
By Harper Lee


A. Setting (place, time): Maycomb, Alabama 1930

B. Main Characters
Scout: the narrator and protagonist of the story. Scout learns about the goodness of people as well as the dark side of humanity.
Jem: Scout's older brother, Jem serves as protector. His presence also highlights Scout's youthful innocence.
Dill: The seasonal friend of Jem andScout. Like Jem, Dill is coming to terms with what is going on around him. 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.


Atticus Finch: The voice of reason in the town of Maycomb and in the novel. Atticus dispels the wisdom and logic that is the core of thenovel. He is a man that goes beyond the word tolerance; tolerance is merely to put up with something. The proud, moral, respected father.
Boo Radley: Arthur "Boo" Radley is Maycomb's town recluse. Myths and rumors about Boo and his family abound. According to town gossip, Boo stabbed his father in the leg when he was a boy and has since been confined to his house. The children imagine Boo as aghoulish figure who eats cats and stalks about the neighborhood under the cover of night. In fact, Boo stands as a figure of innocence who befriends and protects the children in his own way.
Tom Robinson: The most important client of Atticus' career, Tom Robinson, a young, black man, is a church going, father of four accused of rape by Mayella Ewell.
Dolphous Raymond: is an inconsequentialcharacter, he is a prime example of the town's judgment. He has been written off as a drunk who lives among the black community, but when Dill and Scout sit and talk with him, they find the only beverage he abuses is Coca-Cola. Dolphous furthers some of the rumors about himself, however. He understands the town's mentality, and creates some of the stir around himself.
Aunt Alexandra: Atticus’ssister, 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.

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.
MaudieAtkinson: are the positive female influences of Scout in the absence of her mother.
Calpurnia: teaches Scout many of the same lessons. Since Atticus sees Calpurnia as a member of the family, she is allowed to freely scold and lecture Scout if need be. Cal teaches Scout about treating people with respect and taking time to understand others. Scout watched Cal and even sees that being a girl isn't such abad thing. Cal, despite being black and the Finch's cook, becomes a kind of mother to Scout in many ways.




C. Minor Characters:
Miss Caroline: Scout's young first-grade teacher .
Walter Cunningham: Walter is the son of a local farmer The Cunninghams are a poor family who pays their debts with the yield of their crops.
Burris Ewell: Burris Ewell makes his appearance on Scout's firstday of school. He comes from the wretched Ewell family of Maycomb County, which everyone leaves to their own filth and rancor.
Miss Stephanie Crawford: Miss Stephanie lives in the same neighborhood as the Finch family. She is a gossip and a busybody tattletale. Miss Stephanie is one of the main sources for stories about Boo Radley.
Miss Maudie Atkinson: Miss Maudie is a neighbor who allowed Jemand Scout free reign of her yard as long as they stayed out of the flowers she worked so hard to maintain. She was always out in her yard working during the daytime and looking like an elegant lady on her front porch in the evenings.
Nathan Radley: Nathan Radley is Boo's older brother who moved back to Maycomb County from Pensacola when his father died.
Mr. Radley: Mr. Radley was Boo and...