Main Characters (Protagonist/Antagonist), Title, & Traits: _Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch: She is a six-year-old girl and the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout is the opposite of a proper lady, instead she prefers to be a tomboy and run around playing games with her brother and Dill. She is unusually intelligent for her age, as she knows how to read before she started school. She is also unconsciously good, and believes in the goodness of mankind. She is innocent, but when she is first exposed to racial prejudice, she is forced to see that man not only has capacity for good, but also for great evil. Her conscience and faith in the good of mankind continues to remain strong, without her becoming a hypocrite or subject to the destruction of innocence which is seen in the novel. Jeremy “Jem” Finch: He is Scout’s older brother, and is 10 years old at the beginning of the novel. He begins puberty, and has a better understanding of certain events that occur in the novel. Despite when he gently pushes Scout …show more content…
The loss of innocence and the destruction of the innocent are also another major issue. In the novel, some examples of prejudice include the children’s prejudice towards Boo Radley. He is a misunderstood, innocent yet haunted person. He is believed as a myth and monster, but he is in reality a real person. Eventually the children mature and grow, to see him no longer as a myth, but as a real person they finally understand. The mistreatment of Tom Robinson is also another example of prejudice. Since he is an African American, this causes the white citizens to believe the corrupted Ewells account over Toms, despite the large amount of evidence that proves he is innocent. Aunt Alexandra shows prejudice towards others, like the Cunningham’s. Nearly all of the citizens show prejudice towards others based on their color and economic status.