| Dill Harris – Friend of Jem and Scout that visits them every summer | direct characterization: “Dill was a curiosity. He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to hsi shirt, his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duck-fluff; he was a year my senior but I towered over him.” (Lee 8)–indirect charactization: “But Dill got him the third day, when he told Jem that folks in Meridian certainly weren’t as afraid as the folks in Maycomb, that he’d never seen such scary folks as the ones in Maycomb.”==This shows that Dill, despite being much younger than Jem and fairly tiny, can stand up for himself and has a pretty big imagination. |
| Lula – Woman who goes to First Priority, and likes bullying other attendees. | direct characterization: “… standing in the path behind us was a tall Negro woman. Her weight was on one leg; she rested her left elbow in the curve of her hip, pointing at us with an upturned palm. She was bullet-headed with strange almond-shaped eyes, straight nose, and an Indian-bow mouth. She seemed seven feet high.” (Lee 135)–indirect characterization: “I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to n*gger church.” (Lee 135)==This shows that Lula is an illiterate woman who uses her size to bully other people into doing what she wants. She’s obviously not intelligent, but at seemingly almost seven feet tall, she’s probably pretty scary. |
| Miss Caroline – Scouts naive and young teacher who uses the dewey-decimal system. | direct characterization: “Miss Caroline was no more than twenty-one. She had bright aubrun hair, pink cheeks, and wore crimson fingernail polish. She also wore high-heeled pumps and a red-and-white-striped dress. She looked and smelled like a peppermint drop.” (Lee 18)–indirect characterization: “… she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading.” (Lee 19)==The direct and indirect characterizations show that Miss Caroline has her own method of teaching, and is obviously a young and naive lady. That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s ‘bad’, it just means that Scout might not see her as ‘good’. |
| Miss Maudie – An older woman who lives next-door to Jem and Scout. She’s a gardener. | direct characterization: “Miss Maudie hated her house: time spent indoors was time wasted. She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but after her five o’clock bath she would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty.” (Lee 47)–indirect characterization: “Pull it up, child, pull it up? … Why, one sprig of nut-grass can ruin a whole yard!” (Lee 47)==Miss Maudie is an old widow who loves gardening, and hates weeds. She knows how to handle various flowers, and despises the indoors. |
| Francis – A rude and boring cousin of Scout’s. | direct characterization: “He was the most boring child I had ever met. As he lived in Mobile, he could not inform on me to school authorities, but he managed to tell everything he knew to Aunt Alexandra, who in turn unburdened herself to Atticus, who either forgot or gave me hell, whichever struck his fancy.”–indirect characterization: “but now [Atticus]’s turned n*gger-lover we’ll never be able to walk down the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doin’.”==This shows that Francis is not only a boring person to be around, but also loves to antagonize Scout with snide comments in an attempt to get her in trouble. |
| Mrs. Dubose – An incredibly cruel and elderly woman. | direct characterization: “If she was on the porch when we passed, we would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy prediction on what we would amount to when we grew up, which was always nothing.”–indirect characterization: “Your father’s no better than the n*ggers and trash he works for!”==Mrs. Dubose hates the Finches (at least the children), and it’s very hard for Jem and Scout to keep their cool around her. |
| Aunt Alexandra – A critical and cold woman who is Atticus’s sister. | direct characterization: “Aunt Alexandra was Atticus’s sister, but when Jem told me about changelings and siblings, I decided that she had been swapped at birth, that my grandparents had perhaps received a Crawford instead of a Finch. Had I ever harbored the mystical notions about mountains that seemed to obsess lawyers and judges, Aunt Alexandra would have been analogous to Mount Everest: throughout my early life, she was cold and there.” (Lee 92)–indirect characterization: “Jean Louise, if I hear another word out of you I’ll tell your father.” (Lee 95)==Scout’s aunt doesn’t like her and uses her father in order to get her in trouble. Alexandra’s very critical with Scout. |
| Uncle Jack – Scout’s uncle who loves her a lot, and she really likes him being around. | direct characterization: “He was one of the few men of science who never terrified me … but he held up a bloody splinter in a pair of tweezers and said he yanked it while I was laughing, that was what was known as relativity.” (Lee 89)–indirect characterization: “[Talking to Scout] Of course I will, baby. I know of no hand I would be more delighted to tie up. Will you come this way?” (Lee 98)==Uncle Jack is one of those uncles you would really want to have around. He really loves Scout, and wants the best for her. |
| Walter Cunningham Jr. – A boy who comes from a poor family and gets by with what he has. | direct characterization: “The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back – no church baskets, and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have. They don’t have much, but they get along with it. … You’re shamin’ him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can’t use any stove-wood.” (Lee 22/24)–indirect characterization: “Walter poured syrup on his vegetables and meat with a generous hand. He would probably have poured it into his milk glass had I not asked what in the sam hill he was doing.” (Lee 27)==These examples show that Walter is a poor boy from a poor family, and he’ll accept help where he can get it, although he won’t accept charity. |
| Reverend Sykes – Black man who leads First Priority church. | direct characterization: “He was a short, stockey man in a black suit, black tie, white shirt, and a gold watch chain that glinted in the light from the frosted windows.” (Lee 137)–indirect characterization: “To our amazement, Reverend Sykes emptied the can onto the table and raked the coins into his hand. He straightened up and said, “This is not enough, we must have ten dollars.” (Lee 139)==Reverend Sykes is a great pastor, and he likes helping his community get by. Although he may criticize certain members of the congregation, he doesn’t mean anything bad. |
tkam
January 30, 2020