Jean Brodie
The title character is an iconoclastic teacher at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls. The first man she ever loved died in World War I and the second turns out to be married. It is through subtle manipulation of her carefully selected group of students—the Brodie set—that the aging spinster sublimates her repressed passions. Fiercely independent and roguishly anti-conventional on the outside, the inner Brodie in her prime turns out to be not quite the same thing. Her admiration for emerging fascist leaders like Mussolini and Hitler ultimately doom her teaching career.
Sandy Stranger
Among this particular Brodie set, Sandy is closest to Brodie who has singled her out for possessing of the two character traits the teacher appears to hold in the highest esteem. Almost inevitably, perhaps, this insight allows Sandy to see deeper into Miss Brodie to the real thing and she winds up embracing religion and in a way betraying her mentor by becoming Sister Helena.
Rose Stanley
The other trait that Brodie holds in esteem is instinct. Rose Stanley is selected to joint the set because her rather aggressive interest in sexuality and the power it gives her is recognized by the teacher. The definition of instinct for Miss Jean is somewhat difference from the norm. Brodie will attempt to exploit Rose’s instinct for her own purposes, but things don’t go quite as planned.
Mary Macgregor
Poor Mary Macgregor becomes the last person chosen for the Brodie team which is certainly befitting a kid described as “a silent lump, a nobody whom everybody could blame.” She will die young in a fire, destined to become a sick guilty feeling in the stomach of all the girls who treated her cruelly.
Monica Douglas
One of the Brodie set, Monica Douglas is famous for doing math in her head and infamous for a lively and unpredictably violent anger. This will ultimately result in marital problems for Monica.
Eunice Gardner
Part of the Brodie set, Eunice is “small, neat and famous for her spritely gymnastics and glamorous swimming.” After briefly flirting with religion, eventually Eunice goes on to become a nurse. What sets her apart from the rest of the set is her reluctance to buy into Miss Brodie’s disdain for teamwork and competitive sports.
Miss Lockhart
Miss Lockhart is another teacher at the Blaine School, but one who stands in opposition to Miss Brodie in every way. She does not seek to make personal connections with her students as she is content merely to teach to the curriculum. She will eventually marry Mr. Lowther with whom Brodie is at one point romantically involved.
Teddy Lloyd
Art teacher, portrait painter and in love and potential husband for Miss Brodie were it not for the fact that he is already married. Despite returning his love, Brodie rejects intimacy because of his marital status and sets in motion an ill-conceived attempt to symbolically consummate their love through manipulation of her star students with insight and instinct.
