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The main character in To Kill a Mockingbird is Scout Finch. When the novel begins, Scout is almost six years old but the novel is actually narrated by Scout when she is much older and looking back at the events that happened when she was a young girl. Her older brother Jem and her father Atticus are also important characters. The experiences of the Finch family form the central story of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Tom Robinson is a black man wrongly accused of attacking Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Although it becomes clear that her father Bob Ewell was the one guilty of assaulting her, Tom is found guilty simply because he is black. Atticus defends Tom Robinson and his determination to prove Tom’s innocence, when many others are keen to assume he is guilty because of the colour of his skin, allows Harper Lee to explore the themes of racism and courage. It also allows Harper Lee to show how brave a man Atticus is.

Boo Radley is a reclusive neighbour of the Finch family. A silly childhood prank when he was a teenager led to his father deciding to keep him locked indoors in order to avoid his son being sent to an industrial school. This results in Boo living like a hermit and being unable to face the outside world. Scout and Jem have listened to local gossip and now imagine him to be a bloodthirsty monster who only leaves his house after dark in order to cause mischief. Their neighbour Miss Maudie Atkinson is similar to Atticus in that she refuses to listen to neighbourhood gossip relating to Boo. She chooses to see him as a man who has been wronged by his family and society and encourages Scout and Jem to see him in the same way.

Main characters

• Scout Finch
• Jem Finch
• Atticus Finch

Secondary characters

• Boo Radley
• Miss Maudie Atkinson
• Tom Robinson
• Dill
• Bob Ewell
• Mayella Ewell
• Mrs Dubose
• Calpurnia
• Aunt Alexandra

Minor Characters

• Jack Finch
• Judge Taylor
• Heck Tate
• Miss Stephanie Crawford