Mentally, Scout is an extremely bright girl. She understands things that even some adults cannot comprehend. Scout understands the need to keep Boo Radley's heroics a secret, as well as many similar things. Scout and the other children all recognize the horrible prejudice and hatred that most of the adults are either a big part of or oblivious to. Scout is a protaganist because she is one of the small amount of people who show genuine concern for the persecuted. Scout was chosen to be the narrator to show the innocence still in society that every child possesses.

             Arthur "Boo" Radley is an extremely important protagonist although it is not disclosed until the end of the story. Boo is a mentally ill man with a history of psychological problems. Boo is tall, extremely pale due to being inside a house for over thirty years, with gray, gloomy eyes. Boo seems to like the Finch children, and tries to communicate with them. Boo Radley was chosen to be the representative of the result of prejudice against the mentally ill.

             Tom Robinson is an accused rapist though he is a straight-path person. Tom would not have many problems with the allegations had he not been black. Tom is a person of average size, with a useless left arm. Tom is a very nice man who would obviously never rape someone. Through the opinions of Tom's wife, neighbors, and others we learn that Tom is a man of good morals and is most likely innocent. Harper Lee chose this carachter to represent the product of racism against blacks in the South.

             Bob Ewell is the most important antagonist in To Kill A Mockingbird. He is an old white man. Ewell and his family live on a dump and are pretty dirty people. Bob Ewell is an obvious liar whose prejudice is so strong that it blinds him. In the Tom Robinson plot we learn that Bob Ewell is a drunk who should not be well liked. Bob Ewell was chosen in To Kill A Mockingbird to represent the people that ruin life for southern blacks and give the South a bad name.