TKM Characters Flashcards
Scout points
Narrator
Gender
Innocence
Growing up
Scout as a narrator
Scout is based on harper Lee herself, who would have been around scouts age in the 1930s when the novel is set.
Narrational structure is told by Scout looking back on what she remembers of the events of her childhood, this is similar to Lee, as an adult was writing the novel, she was looking back at her past
The use of both adult and child voice ensure that the theme of innocence is developed but also the understanding is kept
Although the focus of the novel is mainly on the teachings of Atticus rather than scout, the decision to portray these teachings through the eyes of his daughter make them seem more effective - we can see the real impact of these lessons on a person
Scout Gender
Scout does not conform to the gender roles expected of her at the time the novel is set, much to the disappointment of some family members
This immediately presents her as different from her peers, a theme which is continued throughout the novel
Due to her surroundings by men she begins to see her gender as a bad thing - she is constrained by her gender norms at the time and wishes to take a more active role in society like her father. However as the novel progresses she realises that being a girl is not necessarily a bad thing and challenges her own ingrained sexism. - This expands on the theme of prejudice, scout is in some way prejudice against women, but learns that this is wrong through the course of the novel showing her growth.
Therefore the significants of scouts gender lies in her journey of overcoming prejudice, and as part of the characterisation that she does not fit in with common society
Youth / innocence
Bc of her youth scout is easily impressionable, this allows Atticus’s teachings to be more easily portrayed - This draws to the theme of education, the different ways children learn in school and out of it
This is a key way at looking at society because she is naturally curious about what is happening, and does not understand certain societal norm, so is able to question them and therefore make the reader question them
Since the novel mainly focuses on the acts of adults, it is essential that with a first person narrative to have an outsider perspective - an almost neutral view so these can be properly examined
Scout Growing up
Scout matures a lot throughout the novel
This can be seen by the way she sees boo Radley at the start of the novel vs the way she sees him at the end
The development of scout is used to show the effects of lessons Atticus had taught her - showing that they were good
Atticus key points
Masculinity
Father figure
Justice
Morality
Masculinity
Masculinity is portrayed in a very progressive way throughout the novel. This can be seen in Atticus who is not the most typically masculine man of the era the novel is set - he does not play football with most men, does not help get furniture out of Miss Maudie house when it is on fire. This shows his nonconformity
Atticus’s beliefs about masculinity can be seen in what he tells Jem to be a gentleman son
There is little anger in Atticus’s masculinity which sets him apart from the rest of the men in the novel
However he is portrayed at having the strongest shot in maycomb, which surprises his children, and is lees way of showing it does not matter what skills you have it is what you do with them, though he could chooose to be Atticus chooses not to be violent
Atticus Father figure
The teachings of Atticus are portrayed primarily through scout, rather than directly
This automatically places him as a moral authority figure, given that he is scouts father
It allows the reader to see the impact of what he says, that it results in kindness, and his children looking up to him for guidance
This also allows him to be easily compared to other father figures in the novel - mainly bob ewell who neglects and abuses his children
Therfore it is immmediateliy obvious to the readers who beliefs are right and wrong and therfore helps the moral message of the novel
Atticus Justice
As a lawyer Atticus represents the justice system, but he can also represent other forms of justice
He expresses a distaste for the practice of criminal law, developing Lees belief that the justice system is flawed, and he explains this to Scout and Jem that whatever the evidence was, Tom Robinson would be found guilty
In everyday life Atticus also has a different interpretation of of justice. He is never violent of cruel towards his children, and listens to their side of the story whenever they have done something wrong. E.g. listening to Jems reason for attaching Mrs dubose bushes, but punishing him nonetheless
He also impresses on his children that they must always be empathetic- the need for fairness and understanding is essential in what he teaches them
Morality
In the book morality is generally seen as being black and white - there are good Characters and there are bad characters
However in society at the time the book was written, the beliefs of racial equality and tolerance that Atticus held were essentially controversial
Therefore by justifying these beliefs with other more accepted ones such as the need for kindness and empathy, Lee emphasises that these viewpoints are as obviously morally right as some of the others.
Therefore she uses Atticus to bring together controversial beliefs and commonly held ones to challenge the idea that anyone who disagreed with him could still be a truly good person
She places as much emphasis on these beliefs as she does on one’s such as kindness and respect, indicating that they are fundamental
Jem key points
Perspective
Emotion
Masculinity
Courage
Jem perspective
He is seen through the eyes of his younger sister, and this helps show how much he has changed over the course of the novel
Not only is this an outsider perspective letting the reader see his emotions with objectivity, but it also shows the reader the differences in how he treats scout - he goes from dragging her along and being exasperated by her, to feeling innately protective towards her
This helps show his development
Jem Emotion
Jem is an emotional character though he would pretend that he isnt, that scout is the one who tends to lose her head
This can be seen in how he reacts to Mrs dubose, or how strongly he feels a sense of injustice after the trial
Also seen in when scout describes his moods swings as he becomes a teenager
The fact that Jem is left with a lifelong injury due to the events surrounding the dwells is representative of the impact it has had on him and the acts as a vessel for harper lees message of the need for change
Jem Masculinity
As Jem is developing into a young man over the course of the novel, he is struggling to figure out what exactly masculinity means to him
He idolises Atticus even saying that he wants to be a lawyer, and thus will do anything to be a gentleman and please Atticus
Even when he temporarily loses his head with Mrs dubose he listens to Atticus as he tells him what he has done wrong
Masculinity is portrayed in a very progressive sense in the novel - Atticus impresses on Jem that while it is ok to feel emotional, it is important to not keep your head and not take your anger out on other people
Jem courage
Another key factor when considering the character of Jems is the theme of courage - his definition of this develops alongside scouts, as Atticus teaches them
At first he beliefs it’s never turning down a dare, and not being afraid to touch the radley house, but as he grows up he understands more, he realises that courage is often just carrrying on
This can be shown in his changing ideas of Mrs dubose
Boo radley main points
Ghost character
Relation to scout and Jem
Mockingbird and innocence
Empathy
Boo radley gosht character
He represents the things in maycomb that people don’t want to talk about - he is the darker side of the small town
He is used as almost a scapegoat for some of the towns problems and the metaphor of him being shut away links to how the town hides its problems and does not deal with them - the children try and course him to come out
Boo radley relation to Jem and scout
Scout and Jems relationship to boo radley shows how much they have matured as the novel progresses
From childish to genuine empathy, he is part of the them of growing up - he does not really change, but scout and Jems thoughts about him do
Vehicle for their development
Boo radley Mockingbird and innocence
Boo is one of the characters for whom teh mockingbird symbol applies - he is clearly and innocent, but the town does not treat him as such
Also takes into account a different form of innocence x responsiblilty and how people can be abused
Empathy/ walking in another persons shoes boo radley
Boo is portrayed as a frightening chapter at first but as the reader learns more about him we become more e empathetic towards him
It is essential for the reader to have incorrect first impressions so that the teachings of Atticus make an impact on them as well as scout and Jem
Mrs dubose main points
Moral ambiguity
Representative for the town
Courage
Political symbol
Vessel for teaching
Moral ambiguity Mrs dubose
Mayella Ewell main points
Sympathy/ empathy
Characterisation of Atticus
Innocence
Status
Sympathy mayella Ewell
This comes mainly from scout and how she juxtaposes mayella Ewells childhood and experiences with father figures to her own
Despite knowing what she is doing wrong scout feels sympathy for her as she knows that mayella sees this as easier than having to deal with her father
Also the juxtaposition of Atticus interviewing her with kindness and her father watching and intimidating her creates sympathy
Vehicle Mayella Ewell - Characterisation of Atticus
He is always polite to her even though she doesn’t expect it
This allows Lee and opportunity to develop the chactersiation of Atticus as morally good in a black and white sense but also leaves grey areas in between that mayella falls into
Innocence mayella Ewell
White woman always perceive as innocent at the time - they were infantilised
However innocence in relation to mayella calls into question what she is actually responsible for, is she to blame for trying to protect herself from her fathers abuse
Reflects on the empathy aspect, and how it is important to see the whole story before judging someone
Mayella Ewell status
Due to her gender and her class, she is lower status than many white people in maycomb, shown by how she is surprised at being called Miss mayella, but scout is Called Miss jean Louise alll the time
Bob Ewell key points
Father figure
Morality
Symbol for racism
Class
Bob well as a father figure
He is compared to Atticus most, because this is the only other father figure
He does not look after his children, beats them and does not give them the welfare money that he receives
This shows that Atticus is morally good and he is morally bad
Bob Ewell morality
Unlike other characters the question of morality is black and white when it comes to Bob Ewell - he is morally bad
There is no reason why he might be like this
Shows that Lee thinks some things are just plain bad
Bob Ewell symbol for racism
Through multiple channels he is portrayed as the lowest of the low and Lee uses him to initiate the trial which ends up in Tom Robinson being killed
Thus he is a symbol for rasicts attitudes in the south - he is considered morally bad, but everyone allows him to continue and even encourages him when the trial starts
Bob Ewell class
Living in the Great Depression meant that a lot of people had very hard lives, and had to live in squalor, Bob Ewell being one of them
However Lee makes sure that there is no sympathy awarded to him as she describes how he was fired from wpa programmes for being lazy, and he is justopsed to the Cunninghams who are lower class but are still somewhat respectable
Tom Robinson key points
As the Mockingbird
Representative for racial context
Vulnerability
Polarities of Bob Ewell
Status
Tom Robinson as a representative for racial context
The novel is said to be loosely inspired by the trial of the scosboro boys, who were falsely accused of raping a white woman
There is also an attempted lynching of Tom Robinson
He is a representative of many black men who have gone before him
There is little characterisation other than his innocence and his kindness - this can anonymise him, which makes him a better representative of many people
Tom Robinson As the mockingbird
Theme of innocence is prevalent in the novel - he is most obvious interpretation of the mockingbird as he literally gets shot
Allows his innocence to expose the darker side of town - almost everyone is technically guilty of shooting the mockingbird
This develops the idea that people can contain multitudes as many are normally nice, but treated him very badly
Tom Robinson vulnerability
His innocence is empathised by his physical disability which not only means he physically could not done what he was accused of, but also that he is vulnerable to attack
This creates sympathy for him
It also connects him to Jem who at the end of the novel had a broken arm mirroring the effect that this case had on him and his development
Status Tom Robinson
Though he is a respectable man he is below the status of mayella Ewell who is not a respectable person
Dill main points
Childhood
Friendships
Family
Outsider
Childhood dill
Dill is around the same age as scout and Jem
He has a wild imagination, and lots of childhood immaturity
Encourages them to try and make boo radley come out
Dill friendships
He is the only real friend scout and Jem make over the novel
Idea of childhood, and shows the way there friendships change as they mature - from scout being left out to Jem snitching that dill has run away from home
They all care for one another deeply and see themselves as a unit
Dill family
He does not have a stable family like Jem and scout
This empathises the way many children were neglected at this time, and also how lucky scout and Jem are although they do not realise it
Helps him feel empathy for others as he sees himself as an outsider in many places
Dill outsider
He is not a part of maycomb so often sees things from a different perspective
This is shown by the fascination of boo radley
This empathises the perspective - how people can be biased
Prejudice dolphus Raymond
Calpurnia main points
Race
Family
Status
Calpurnia family
She is as much as part of the finch family as anyone else - she grew up on finch’s landing witch Atticus and they could not live without her
Her closeness with the kids can be shown by how she refers to them as her children when getting them ready for her church and how she teaches scout how to write
Through Calpurnia teh traditional definition at teh time of family is expanded
Calpurnia race
She is the main way that scout and Jem learn about race
They go to her church and they are able to literally see from the perspective of black people
She is always patient and kind to scout when she has questions
Calpurnia status
Placed at a high status by the finches but a low status by others due to her race
Aunt axelandra wants to get rid of her but the finches love her
This empathises the differences between the finch family
Maudie Atkinson key points
Femininity
Mother figure
Morality
Courage
Miss Maudie femininity
She is a widow so will have more freedom than most women at the time
She becomes friends with scout as she is being left out for being a girl
Miss Maudie helps scout to feel more comfortable as a girl - she like scout often wears overalls when she is working in teh garden, but also equally attends missionary teas which shows she has a liberal interpretation about being a woman
Miss Maudie wants to help scout to accept herself
Miss Maudie mother figure
She is always kind to scout,Jem and dill - letting them play in her garden, and not telling other people what they did. She even would make three little cakes whenever she made a big one to give one each to them
She also helps scout understand some things Atticus is saying - about the mockingbird quote and she helps Jem with his emotions after the trail. Therfore she is extremely important when it comes to developing the children
Miss Maudie morality
She is not like the rest in town and actively calls out things that she perceives to be wrong for example Stephanie Crawford gossiping about boo radley
She also Dosent like the way black people are treated - she refuses to go to trial because she doesn’t want to ogle at Tom Robinson
Courage
When her house burns down she is optimistic and the first thing she thinks of is how big a garden she can now have if she builds a smaller house
This calm reaction is in contrast to the drama in the scene of her house burning down, which really empathises the amount of courage the she has
Dolphus Raymond main points
Class
Structure
Reflects teaching
S of Atticus
Tolerant
Effect of prejudice
Dolphus Raymond class
his is of a higher class, so can afford to be contrary, whereas it is emphasised that people from a lower class/ social status cannot do this because they will not be able to find a job
Dolphus Raymond structure
- he is present when the children are taken out of the trial
- this shifts the emphasis of this chapter from the exiting legal proceedings to the impact that they have on the development of the kids
Reflects teachings of Atticus
- he reiterates some of atticus’ teachings, about the innocence of children and how society impacts them- they are not born with hatred
- also shows that everyone’s assumptions about him were incorrect, that they did not truly understand him
Tolerance
- he is racially tolerant, as he has married a black woman’
- he is also tolerant and patient with the people in the town, choosing to live and let live instead of fighting with them
