In court brightens, that even though Mayella loves Tom, she still attends racism in a rude way by calling Tom Robinson a nigger.
Mayella symbolizes the whole community, who are swayed by some racist leaders and do not even know what the words they are saying actually mean and why they are saying them.
The gentle, handsome, black man who is the only one treating Mayella so good-hearted is Tom Robinson. He is accused of rape by Bob Ewell and suffers indescribably from racism. Everyone knows that he innocent. Still he is sentenced guilty and he gives up his hope in “white men’s justice.”
This exemplary man represents all black human beings living in America at this time in the book. He stages all the crimes committed to black people for one simple reason: they are not white.
A solitaire, who never leaves his corrupt house, is Arthur Radley, also called Boo. Because of one trick, which he has committed when he was still a kid, his father has locked him into the house and from that day on no inhabitant of Maycomb has seen him.
Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill.
He is probably the most powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and saving them when they are attacked by Bob Ewell.
A child emotionally damaged by his bitter father, Boo provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness.
He is another one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” in my opinion and a good person injured by evil.
Jem and Scout’s summer friend is Dill, a young, short, courageous and convinced boy. He is probably the one who is mostly amazed by Boo Radley and his past. This midget child personifies the vista of the childhood innocence.
The Finches’ black maid, Calpurnia who is always treated with respect by this white family is a disciplinary, strict but educating woman. I think Harper Lee chose to refer her in this book, to build a bridge between Scout and Jem’s and Calpurnia’s own black community.
Atticus’ sister, Aunt Alexandra, is a conservative woman, who attaches importance to family a lot. She is a classic Southern lady, of whom I am not sure, whether she is racist or not. However, she defiantly does not support Atticus defending a black man as he is a bad influence to the family.
Miss Atkinson, the Finches’ neighbor is an old friend of the family. She has known Atticus since she was a child and shares a passion with him: justice. Also, she guards her admirable flowers with a lot of care. These stunning flowers characterize the clear conscience if the inhabitants of the town who are not racist.
Mrs. Dubose is an elderly, ill, in my opinion racist woman, who lives with her maid. She ascribes Atticus and Jem becomes so angry over this, that he choppes down all the heads of her beauteous flowers off. As a punishment he is then to read to her for several times.
Although Jem believes that Mrs. Dubose is a nothing but a bad woman, Atticus admires her for the courage with which she battles her morphine addiction.
She is supposed to demonstrate, that it is not important what the others think. The importance is to achieve your own goals.
The sheriff of the town, Heck Tate is an honorable man who tries to protect all innocent from danger. Still he does not seem to be too intelligent as he speaks in court assuming that Tom Robinson is the rapist without even calling for a doctor to access a doctor to get proof.
He also stages a decent man who is not racist.
Link Deas owns the cotton fields that Tom Robinson worked in. He stood up in court after Atticus questioned Tom, and insisted that Tom was a good man who had worked for him for eight years and never caused any trouble. His outburst, although meant to help Tom, got him thrown out of the courtroom, and his words were stricken from the record.
Even after Tom’s death he give Tom’s widow a job, so her family can survive and protects her from Bow Ewell.
The preacher at Calpurnia’s church, Reverend Sykes goes out of his way to be kind to Scout and Jem. He makes them feel welcome when they accompany Cal to church. At the courthouse, he takes them up to the balcony where the colored people are sitting because all the seats on the first floor are taken.
He makes it clear that the prejudices of whites about blacks are untrue.
Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy white man who lives with his black mistress and his race-mixed children. Raymond pretends to be a drunk so that the citizens of Maycomb have an explanation for his behavior. In reality, he is simply against the white society and prefers living among blacks.
Dolphus Raymond shows that some people are even beyond not being racist. He is actually in love with an afro-American woman.
The editor, writer and printer for The Maycomb Tribune, a small newspaper is Mr. Underwood.
He hides in his office next to the jailhouse to protect Atticus and Tom Robinson from the Old Sarum mob that tries to take Tom from the jail to lynch him.
There are many white inhabitants in Maycomb who are not racist.
To say everyone in Maycomb is racist is a wrong statement. There are many minor characters in this novel who do not support the way society works in the South and hope for a fair life for all people, no matter what their ethnic is.
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