Noughts and Crosses Character Analysis

Callum McGregor

One of the protagonists and a nought, the novel follows Callum from age 15 to 19. He’s been best friends with Sephy for her entire life, but in the novel’s present, the two can… read analysis of Callum McGregor

Sephy Hadley

One of the protagonists, the novel follows privileged Cross Sephy from age 13 to 17. She’s been best friends with nought Callum her whole life and believes that it’s going to be great when Callum… read analysis of Sephy Hadley

Mrs. Hadley/Mother

Sephy and Minnie’s mother and Mr. Hadley’s wife is a wealthy Cross woman. She demands total loyalty from her nought staff (in the prologue, she fires Meggie for not corroborating an alibi in… read analysis of Mrs. Hadley/Mother

Mr. Kamal Hadley

Sephy and Minnie’s father and Mother’s husband, Mr. Hadley is a powerful Cross in government: he’s the home minister. He’s a large, imposing man and is constantly angry and physically violent with his… read analysis of Mr. Kamal Hadley

Minerva “Minnie” Hadley

Sephy’s older sister, Minerva (whom Sephy calls Minnie to annoy her) is, in Sephy’s mind, her exact opposite. Sephy believes that Mother loves Minnie better because Minnie is supposedly perfect and actually likes being… read analysis of Minerva “Minnie” Hadley

Meggie McGregor/Mum

Mum is Callum, Jude, and Lynette’s mother and Ryan’s wife. When readers meet her in the prologue, she’s a hopeful person. She works for the Hadley family and dreams of Callum… read analysis of Meggie McGregor/Mum

Ryan McGregor/Dad

Dad is Callum, Jude, and Lynette’s father and Mum’s husband. He begins the novel as an easygoing, affable man. But when Mum loses her job and the family falls into poverty… read analysis of Ryan McGregor/Dad

Jude McGregor

Jude is Callum’s older brother and the middle child of the family. Callum and Jude don’t get along and never have: Callum regularly describes Jude as insufferable, or as a “toad.” Part of the… read analysis of Jude McGregor

Lynette McGregor

Lynette is Callum’s oldest sibling at 20 years old. When Callum first introduces Lynette to readers, he describes her as somewhat “simple.” For the last three years, Lynette has existed in her own world… read analysis of Lynette McGregor

Mr. Jason

Mr. Jason is Callum and Sephy’s history teacher at Heathcroft. They both find him insufferable because of the way he treats Callum and the other noughts: he regularly insults them, gives them poor… read analysis of Mr. Jason

Mrs. Paxton

Mrs. Paxton is Callum and Sephy’s math teacher at Heathcroft. To Callum’s extreme relief, and despite her being a dark-skinned Cross, she’s one of the only teachers who treats Callum like an actual… read analysis of Mrs. Paxton

Harry

Harry is the Hadley family’s first nought driver. Sephy initially thinks that she and Harry have a close and trusting relationship, as she regularly asks him to drop her off a few blocks from school… read analysis of Harry

Sarah Pike

Sarah is Mrs. Hadley’s nought personal assistant and secretary. She’s blonde and timid, and her expression makes her look permanently surprised. Though she often demonstrates loyalty to Mrs. Hadley (such as by firing Meggie… read analysis of Sarah Pike

Mr. Corsa

Mr. Corsa is the headmaster at Heathcroft. Despite allowing noughts into the school, Mr. Corsa shows on several occasions that he in no way supports integration. When Shania is injured on her way to school… read analysis of Mr. Corsa

Joanne

Joanne is a year above Sephy at Heathcroft. After Sephy attempts to sit with the noughts at lunch, she, Dionne, and Lola beat Sephy up. Several years later, after he joins the Liberation Militia… read analysis of Joanne

Lola

Lola is a year above Sephy at Heathcroft. After Sephy attempts to sit with the noughts at lunch, Lola, Dionne, and Joanne brutally beat Sephy up. Several years later, after he joins the Liberation… read analysis of Lola

Dionne

Dionne is a year above Sephy at Heathcroft. After Sephy attempts to sit with the noughts at lunch, she, Lola, and Joanne brutally beat Sephy up. Several years later, after he joins the Liberation… read analysis of Dionne

Juno Ayelette

Juno Ayelette is Mr. Hadley’s personal secretary, and she seems almost as famous as her boss. Like Mr. Hadley, she’s callous and obsessed with preserving the Hadley family’s reputation—so when she discovers that Minnie… read analysis of Juno Ayelette

Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope is the lawyer Mum and Callum hire to represent Dad during his trial. He’s a nought—and to Callum’s extreme surprise, he’s a second-generation lawyer. Because he understands the importance of not appearing… read analysis of Adam Stanhope

Kelani Adams

One of the best attorneys in the country, Mrs. Hadley secretly hires Kelani Adams to represent Ryan, the supposed bomber of the Dundale Shopping Center. She’s a Cross, and even Sephy, who… read analysis of Kelani Adams

Andrew Dorn

Technically, Andrew Dorn is the General’s second-in-command in the Liberation Militia—but Sephy and Callum discover that Andrew is actually a spy. This is because at the beginning of the novel, when Sephy is… read analysis of Andrew Dorn

Alex Luther

Though he never appears in person in the novel, Alex Luther is a nought who fights for equality between noughts and Crosses through nonviolent protest, such as through sit-ins. He’s been to jail many times… read analysis of Alex Luther

Leo Stoll

Mr. Stoll is a witness Kelani Adams calls in Ryan’s trial. A Cross and a former police detective, Mr. Stoll was at the mall café when Callum drug Sephy out to protect her. He’s… read analysis of Leo Stoll

Leila

Leila is the only woman in Callum’s Liberation Militia cell. Callum brought her into the LM after witnessing her beating up three Cross men who taunted and insulted her for asking them for money… read analysis of Leila

Minor Characters

Jed

Jed was Lynette’s Cross boyfriend; he never appears in person in the novel. Three years before the main story begins, he and Lynette were beaten almost to death by noughts for being in an interracial relationship. His family moved away after the incident.

Shania

Shania is one of the four noughts who, along with Callum, integrates Heathcroft. She’s eventually expelled for a minor infraction.

Karl

The Hadleys hire Karl, who’s a nought, as their driver after Mother fires Harry.

Sergeant Collins

Sergeant Collins is the Cross police officer who informs the McGregors of Lynette’s death.

Nurse Carter

Nurse Carter is the Mercy Hospital nurse who checks Mum in and, since Mum doesn’t have her own ID, scans Callum and Jude’s IDs instead.

Governor Giustini

The governor of the Hewmett Prison, Governor Giustini stops Dad’s hanging from happening and oversees Callum’s hanging several years later.

Shaun Pingule

A Cross, Mr. Pingule is the prosecuting lawyer in Ryan’s trial. Callum finds him rude and imposing, but when Sephy testifies, she finds him encouraging.

Pete

Pete is the leader of Callum’s Liberation Militia cell. He’s killed during the attempt to pick up ransom money for Sephy and deliver more demands to Mr. Hadley.

Morgan

Morgan is in Callum’s Liberation Militia cell. Along with Jude, he’s the only one to survive and escape arrest after the disastrous attempt to pick up Mr. Hadley’s ransom money and deliver more demands to Mr. Hadley.

Gordy

Gordy is one of Callum’s coworkers at an auto shop while Callum is in hiding.

Rob

Rob is one of Callum’s coworkers at an auto shop while Callum is in hiding.

Jack

Jack is the Cross prison guard responsible for guarding Callum when Callum is imprisoned for supposedly raping Sephy. Callum suggests that the friendship he forms with Jack is, to his surprise, genuine.

The General

The General is the anonymous head of the Liberation Militia. He never appears in person in the novel.