Hidden figures Characters Analysis

Dorothy Vaughan - She is among the first group of black women who are hired to work as human computers, aiding engineers to solve complex mathematical equations for their research. She displays an acumen for mathematics very early in life, and her academic success is recognized by her teachers as they advance her two grades even when she is in primary school. She receives a scholarship to study math at the esteemed Howard University, but she is unable to pursue the course due to the dire economic conditions of the great depression. Eventually, Dorothy finds out about the vacancies for mathematicians at Langley, where she is later hired. Dorothy’s formidable skill as an organizer propels her to become a shift supervisor and later a section head. She begins to learn about computers when they are introduced at NASA, and so she is later hired to program the highly complex IBM machines.

Howard Vaughan - Howard Vaughan meets Dorothy when she moves to FarmVille, Virginia. He eventually marries her, and they have children together. Howard lives an almost nomadic lifestyle as he moves through the country along with tourists due to his work as a bellman for luxury hotels. His relationship with Dorothy grows strained due to the limited time they have with one another, but they remain married until Howard passes away before Dorothy.

Mary Jackson - She is the first black female engineer to be hired at NASA. She starts her education to be a teacher much like the rest of her family, who also happen to be graduates of the Hampton Institute much like her. However, she is forced to give up her career as a teacher because the state’s nepotism laws prevent her from begin employed in the same district as her other siblings. Mary joins West computing as a computer, but she soon secures a permanent assignment with an assistant section head of NACA. He encourages her to complete her education so that she can be recognized as an engineer, and Mary successfully follows his advice.

Levi Jackson - He meets Mary when she is working in the reception area of a local USO center.

Katherine Johnson - She displays a high level of intelligence from a very young age, and this allows her to find her way to West Virginia State College by the age of fifteen. There, she attends an advanced mathematics course designed especially for her by a brilliant professor. He urges her to pursue graduate school, and she receives a scholarship to the freshly desegregated University of West Virginia. However, she is forced to abandon the course of the pregnancy. Katherine begins to work as a teacher when her husband falls ill and then the principal of his school asks her to be his replacement. She moves to Hampton when she learns of the job opportunities for mathematicians at Langley. Katherine rises rapidly through the rank and ends up working in the Space Task Group which is responsible for leading the research that helps America win the Space race. Katherine is requested to reconfirm the calculations of an IBM machine by John Glenn, before the launch of his mission.

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