Bob Ewell: The Antagonist

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. This classic novel is the only novel Harper Lee has written. This novel deals a lot with racism and respecting others. Harper Lee teaches her lessons though the wrong doing of characters. Bob Ewell is a contentious character who is only worried about himself.

The Ewells is an uneducated family which is looked down upon in the Maycomb community. The Ewell children only attend school on the first day to avoid the law. A student in the first grade told the teacher, "He's one of the Ewells, ma'am...They come first day every year and then leave...You're supposed to mark 'em absent the rest of the year..." (27). This students statement shows why the Ewells are so uneducated. They are a very poor and dirty family. They live behind the town garbage dump. The roof of their cabin consisted of smashed tin cans as their shingles. They way they live makes them alienated from town help such as doctors, policemen, etc.

Bob Ewell decided to take Tom Robinson, a black man, to court for raping his daughter, Mayella. In the trial it is implied that Mayella is the one who came on to Tom. Bob then came home, saw Tom and beat Mayella. Tom was at the Ewell's to help Mayella, which he says he does from time to time, because her family doesn't seem to help her. Tom reveals this when he states, "I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none..." (191). This statement also reveals that Tom is not a good father to his children. In the end the jury decided that Tom was guilty. This trial is a great example of how the town is prejudice. The town convicted a black man who was obviously innocent to death off of almost no evidence. The little evidence that was involved pointed to Bob, and yet they still convicted Tom guilty because he is a black man.

Bob Ewell is a troubled man. Bob Ewell is a cowardly alcoholic. Mr. Tate told Atticus,