tkam

Scout

the narrator for the book; also know as Jean Louise

Jem

Scout's older brother

Atticus

the lawyer defending Tom Robinson; Scout's father

Dill

friend of Scout; he visits Maycomb every summer

Boo Radley

his real name is Arthur; captures the imagination of the children

Calpurnia

the Finch's housekeeper; functions as a mother

empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Bildungsroman

A coming of age story

unreliable narrator

a narrator whose account of events cannot always believed

dramatic irony

when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

Miss Stephanie Crawford

The neighborhood gossip

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President of the US during Great Depression

Walter Cunningham

Scout's schoolmate who cannot afford lunch

Burris Ewell

has lice makes Miss Caroline cry only goes to school on the first day

Miss Maudie

Scout and Jem's neighbor, children's best friend among the adults of Maycomb.

cynical

believing that people act only out of selfish motives

Nathan Radley

Boo's brother who keeps him in the house and fills up the tree hole where the kids had been getting presents

Miss Gates

Scout's third grade teacher; teaches her class about Hitler's persecution of the Jews

Mrs. Merriweather

member of Maycomb's missionary circle; feels sorry for the Mrunas though she lacks any sympathy for the Black people of Maycomb

Tom Robinson

The black man who is accused of raping and beating Mayella Ewell.

hypocrisy

the practice of pretending to be something one is not

Heck Tate

Sheriff of Maycomb; testifies at Tom Robinson's trial

Miss Caroline

Scout's first grade teacher who doesn't want her to read with Atticus anymore

Bob Ewell

A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycomb's poorest family. Ewell represents the dark side of the South: ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate

Mayella Ewell

Bob Ewell's abused, lonely, unhappy daughter. She develops an attraction for Tom Robinson.

simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else

mockingbird

a symbol of innocence

the Great Depression

the time period during which TKAM is set (1930s)

Maycomb, Alabama

the physical setting of TKAM

double consciousness

the struggle African Americans face to remain true to black culture while at the same time conforming to the dominant white society.

Scottsboro Boys

Nine young black men between the ages of 13 to 19 were accused of of raping two white women. All of the young men were charged and convicted of rape by white juries, despite the weak and contradictory testimonies of the witnesses

Reverend Sykes

Minister at the black church that Calpurnia takes the children to Admires Atticus for defending Tom,Sits on balcony with children at the trial

Tim Johnson

the mad dog with rabies who Atticus shot; symbolizes racism in Maycomb

Mrs. Dubose

An old lady who suffers from a morphine addiction. She teaches the children an important lesson in courage.