!!Atticus Finch
An attorney, and father of Scout and Jem. Known for his skill with a rifle. He defends a black man named Tom Robinson who is accused of rape, and is referred to by his children by his first name, rather than "Dad" or "father".

* {{Badass}}
** BadassBookworm
** BadassPacifist
** RetiredBadass
* CoolOldGuy
* CrusadingLawyer
* DeadpanSnarker
* DoesNotLikeGuns: Despite his skill, he will only use a gun when absolutely necessary. His kids don't even know that he's capable of wielding a gun until he has to put down a rabid dog.
* TheHero[=/=]{{Deuteragonist}}: Though the book is from Scout's 1st-person perspective, he's probably the real main character.
* HotDad: The casting of GregoryPeck in the film elevated him to this.
* KnightInSourArmour: Takes a dim view of the trial but stays at it anyway.
* NiceGuy: A compassionate true gentleman and a kind-hearted father.
* PapaWolf
* ProBonoBarter
* SimpleCountryLawyer: Subverted. Atticus is a well-educated man who abhors the opinions of his neighbors.

!!Jean Louise "Scout" Finch

The narrator and protagonist of the novel.

* AuthorAvatar: She's just like Harper Lee was as a little girl.
* BoyishShortHair: In the movie (her hair length is not mentioned in the book, only that she has bangs).
* CharacterDevelopment: The book is a coming-of-age story for her.
* DecoyProtagonist
* TheIshmael: Moreso in the movie, which focuses less on her and more on Atticus.
* MissingMom: Her mother died when she was two. Jem remembers her but Scout doesn't.
* PluckyGirl
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: How she narrates the story.
* {{Tomboy}}: Especially by 1930's standards, anyway. She doesn't like dresses, she plays with boys, and considers "you act like a girl" an insult.
* TomboyishName: Prefers being called Scout.
* WideEyedIdealist

!!Jeremy "Jem" Finch

Scout's older brother.

* BigBrotherBully: He acts like this towards Scout pretty often.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Yet when they're attacked at the end of the book, he does everything possible to protect her. Which isn't much, given how young he is, but he still screams at her to run and tries to pull her to safety.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He thinks so: Being forced to read to the repulsive old lady who insulted his mother while she goes into withdrawal from morphine because he cut up her flowers. In reality, he is being taught an important lesson about respect and bravery.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* MissingMom
* ScarsAreForever: Not "scar" as such, but the very first sentences of the book describe how Jem's arm was broken close to the elbow, which made it noticably shorter than it should be from then on. [[spoiler:It happens in the climax of the book.]]

!!Calpurnia "Cal"

Housekeeper of the Finch family and strict mother figure to Scout and Jem. Despite being black, she is able to read and write, and is the one who taught Scout to read and write.

* KindlyHousekeeper
* MamaBear: She may not be their mom, but that doesn't stop her from protecting Scout and Jem.

!!Charles Baker "Dill" Harris

An intelligent and imaginative boy whom Jem and Scout befriend. His carefree attitude hides his inner pain over his parents divorce and his mother's alcoholism.

* BrilliantButLazy
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker: The most cynical character in the story by far.
* DisappearedDad
* {{Expy}}: For Harper Lee's friend, Truman Capote.
* InsufferableGenius
* LargeHam: Is said to act this way when he plays villains in Jem and Scout's games.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In the movie after attempting to get close to Boo Ridely's house and knocking on his door. He, Jem and Scout make a break for it and hide around a nearby house. Dill quickly tells the two "see ya next summer" and takes off.

!!Nathan Radley

The old father of Arthur "Boo" Radley who imprisoned his son in their house for years.

* AbusiveParents
* DisproportionateRetribution: The aforementioned imprisonment of his son was because [[spoiler: Boo fell in with the wrong crowd and took part in a joy ride. Once.]]

!!Arthur "Boo" Radley

A quiet and reclusive young man and neighbor to the Finches. He is almost never let out of his house and is a mysterious figure to Maycomb, often leading to rumors of just who he is. [[spoiler:Saves the lives of Scout and Jem after they are almost killed by Bob Ewell, whom he kills to protect them.]]

* BigDamnHeroes
* [[spoiler:DarkIsNotEvil]]
* TheDreaded
* TheGhost: Initially until the final part of the book.
* GoodAllAlong
* {{Hikikomori}}
* HollywoodPersonalityDisorders: Schizoid Personality Disorder in his case.
* MadmanInTheAttic
* MissingMom
* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: Former TropeNamer.
* NotEvilJustMisunderstood
* OneSceneWonder
* PapaWolf: [[spoiler:Kills Bob Ewell when he tries to murder Atticus' children.]]

!!Maude "Maudie" Atkinson

Another neighbor of the Finches and childhood acquaintance of Atticus. Whenever Scout has no one to talk to, she usually talks with Maudie. She also loves baking Lane cakes.

* CoolOldLady
* GrayEyes
* ThePollyanna: Even after her house burns down, she still mainly talks about how much bigger she'll make her garden be for her next house.
* TitleDrop: "Remember, it's a sin ''to kill a mockingbird."''

!!Robert E. Lee "Bob" Ewell

Main antagonist of the novel. Accuses Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella and successfully lands him in jail. [[spoiler:Attempts to murder Scout and Jem, only to be upheld and killed by Boo Radley.]]

* AbusiveParents: Physically abuses Mayella and it's strongly implied that he sexually abuses her as well.
* BigBad: Or as close as you can get in the book - his actions set the plot into motion and heavily impact the main characters.
* CorruptHick
* DirtyCoward: He won't confront the best marksman in town but he will [[spoiler:try to kill his children while they're walking home in the dark]].
* {{Jerkass}}
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath]]
* KickTheDog: Harassing Tom Robinson and even after his conviction and death, stalks and harasses his widow as well.
* LowerClassLout
* ThePigPen
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain
* ASinisterClue
* StupidEvil
* [[spoiler:WouldHurtAChild]]

!!Mayella Ewell

Accuser of being raped by Tom Robinson.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer
* AssholeVictim: Debatably - she's from a pretty messed up family and isn't a nice person at all, but it's possible she's only like this ''because'' of her father.
* BrokenBird
* FriendlessBackground: She is too busy trying to control/care for her many siblings and tryng (but failing) to keep their home clean that she has no friends. Part of the reason as to why she came onto Tom, as he was the only person who did not treat her badly because she was "trash", and was friendly to her.
* MissingMom
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds

!!Tom Robinson

Black man accused of raping and assaulting Mayella Ewell. His left arm is crippled, which becomes a vital point in his trial. Despite Atticus's efforts, he is found guilty and imprisoned. [[spoiler:While in prison, he attempts to escape and is shot and killed by guards.]]

* NiceGuy: He was one of the only people who treated Mayella with kindness, and pitied her even as she ruined his life.
* RedRightHand: Averted; it's actually a plot point that his left hand is damaged beyond repair.
* ScaryBlackMan: Averted big time; he's a fairly intimidating guy, but has a gentle soul.
* [[spoiler:SuicideByCop]]: One way of perceiving [[spoiler:his death.]]
* [[spoiler:TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]
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