To Kill a mockingbird

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To Kill a mockingbird

• Character Profiles

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Jean Louise Scout Finch

• Scout Finch is the narrator and protagonist of To
  Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is told from the
  point of view of an adult Scout describing how
  she viewed things as a child, and she often
  comments about how she didnt understand things
  at the time, but now, having grown up, she does.
• Scout is considered smart for her age, and loves
  to read. In fact she gets in trouble with her
  teacher Miss Caroline Fisher, because she wants
  Scout to learn reading and writing her way but
  Scout refuses.

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Jean Louise Scout Finch

• She is also a tomboy who spends the majority of
  her time with her brother and best friend.
• She matures from age six to age eight as the
  novel progresses but still remains naïve and
  idealistic, despite an increased understanding of
  human nature and racism in her town.
• At the beginning of the book, Scout is confused
  by some of the words and names she has heard
  people directing towards her father, such as
  nigger lover. Being only six, Scout does not
  know how to handle such situations so she tries
  to resolve her problems by fighting and talking
  to Atticus about what she has heard.

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Jean Louise Scout Finch

• By the end of the book, she has realised that
  racism does exist and has come to terms with its
  presence in her town. Scout also learns to deal
  with others, such as Calpurnia and her aunt.
• Scout is the only one of the novels three main
  children to see and talk to Boo Radley during the
  course of the novel and realizes that he is
  harmless, despite her earlier fear of him.

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Jean Louise Scout Finch

• She also stops a mob that is trying to hang Tom
  Robinson by informing the mob leader, Mr
  Cunningham, about inviting his son over for
  dinner.
• Mr Cunningham then tells the other mob members to
  get in their cars and leave them alone. The
  members listen and Scout unintentionally saves
  Tom Robinsons life.

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What does Scout do in the novel?

• Scout starts school for the first time (Chapter
  2)
• Scout discovers gifts hidden in a tree near the
  Radley house (Chapter 4)
• Scout finds her father outside the Maycomb jail
  and helps bring to an end a dangerous situation
  (Chapter 15)
• Scout is present at the trial of Tom Robinson
  (Chapters 17-21)
• Scout attends a Maycomb Missionary Society
  meeting (Chapter 24)
• Scout performs in the Halloween pageant and is
  attacked on her way home (Chapters 28-29)

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How is Scout described and what does it mean?
Quotation Meaning
She discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste Scouts teacher does not approve of Scouts advanced reading skills, but Scout, a bright, unconventional child, has grown up in a household full of newspapers and books.
Youre also growing out of your pants a little Uncle Jack is referring to both Scouts cheeky nature and her tomboy nature. She rarely wears dresses, which she learns will get in the way of her becoming a lady.
When you. are grown, maybe youll look back on this with some compassion and feeling that I didnt let you down Through the two perspectives of the child and adult Scout, we see that the narrator supports, and even idealises Atticus, despite his limitations.
There wasnt much else for us to learn, except possibly algebra Scouts words are an indication of her precociousness and also of how much shes been through. Her character has been strengthened rather than altered by her recent experiences.
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Scout In Depth

• Scout isnt a typical young girl. She is a tomboy
  and spends most of her time playing with boys.
  She hates wearing dresses and she isnt afraid to
  get into fights.
• She doesnt just accept things she is
  inquisitive and questions how people behave. For
  example, she doesnt understand why Aunt
  Alexandra tells her not to say certain things in
  front of Calpurnia.
• Scout has a bit of a temper she punches Francis
  for calling Atticus a nigger-lover, but her
  flaws make her a well-rounded, believable
  character.

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Scout In Depth

• Scouts character develops as she gets older over
  the course of the novel
• In the opening chapters, Scout torments and
  gossips about Boo, in the final chapter, Scout
  learns to see things from Boos point of view.
• In chapter 3, Scout thinks it is ok to be rude to
  Walter because hes just a Cunningham, at the
  end of the novel, Scout respects Walters family
  because one of them thought Tom Robinson was
  innocent.
• Scout uses words like nigger without thought
  she doesnt think its offensive to use those
  kinds of words. The older Scout uses the more
  respectful word Negro instead.

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Scout In Depth

• Shes childlike she wants to play with her big
  brother and gets cross when he doesnt want to
  play with her. She addresses some adult issues
  she asks Atticus what rape is and shes curious
  about how the legal system works.
• Although Scout is still a child at the end of the
  book and keeps a lot of her innocence, the events
  of the book have forced her to grow up fast.
• Shes more perceptive and empathic at the end of
  the book because of what she has learnt.

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Jeremy Jem Finch

• Jeremy Jem Finch is the brother of Scout and is
  four years her senior.
• Jem represents bravery in the book. He matures a
  lot over the course of the novel and is much more
  affected by its events his mothers death, the
  racism in the town and the death of Tom Robinson,
  than Scout is due to his greater understanding of
  them.
• Jem is generally stubborn and is a rational
  intelligent boy.

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Jeremy Jem Finch

• On the occasion when Jem behaves out of character
  by cutting off Mrs Duboses camellias (Chapter
  11), he learns his biggest lesson about courage.
• As Jem is going through a period of physical and
  mental change, his mood and behaviour at times
  reflect this.

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Jeremy Jem Finch

• Jem is a natural leader. His creative and
  resourceful nature is brought out in the games he
  plays with Scout and Dill.
• Jem is idealistic and thoughtful, and in contrast
  to Scout, we see that he takes it very much to
  heart when Tom Robinson is declared guilty as he
  has a strong sense of justice.
• Jems maturity is charted throughout the novel
• Jem is a mirror of Atticus, even in his ambition
  to become a lawyer to bring about change.
• In Jem, Harper Lee seems to imply that what has
  not been achieved by Atticus may later be
  achieved by Jem reassuring us that there will
  be people like Atticus in the future.

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Jeremy Jem Finch

• All the children grow up over the course of the
  novel but it is Jem who develops the most.
• Scout starts to notice Jems new maturity in
  Chapter 6. She says It was then, I suppose, that
  Jem and I first began to part company. Jem
  broke the remaining code of our childhood by
  telling Atticus about Dill running away from home
  he is trying to be responsible.

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Jeremy Jem Finch

• He explains things to Scout like the court case
  he understands better than she does. After the
  trial, Jem stops Scout from killing an insect
  Tom Robinsons case has taught him how important
  it is to protect the weak.
• When Scout messed up the school pageant, he is
  sympathetic. He looks after her. He makes Scout
  feel right when things went wrong.

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Jeremy Jem Finch

• Despite this, Jem can also be a bit of a rebel.
  He is more level-headed than Scout, but he isnt
  always respectful and wont always do as he is
  told
• He sometimes lies to avoid getting into trouble
  the trouser incident
• He torments Boo, even though Atticus has told him
  to leave Boo alone
• He destroys Mrs Duboses camellias
• He refuses to go home and leave Atticus with the
  mob outside the jail

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Jeremy Jem Finch

• Jem is sensitive he worries about Atticus when
  he sits outside the jail. This also shows how the
  roles are starting to reverse Jem wants to look
  after his father.
• He is clearly upset by the outcome of the trial
  his hands go white from gripping the balcony rail
  when he hears the jury say guilty, and his
  shoulders jerk as if each verdict was a separate
  stab between them.
• The verdict also makes him cry. He has a strong
  sense of justice. He knows that what happens to
  Tom Robinson isnt right.