Throughout the novel, there are many instances where perspective effects the viewpoints of main characters in Maycomb, Alabama. Given the certain situations that take place, it is evident that the differences between the variety of characters also change how they all experience certain events. For example, in chapter 22, Bob Ewell chooses to spit in Atticus’ face as revenge for the attack on his own dignity in the courtroom. This was done because of his extreme anger towards Atticus and his beliefs. His prior indignation was the only motivation for this cruel act, revealing that Bob’s perspective of the trial that took place in the novel was a key component that drove him to take action. Another occurrence that took place was when Mr. Ewell …show more content…
Ewell would have to have had a very strong motivation that would’ve persuaded him to do this crime. This motivation would’ve been affected by his particular standpoint on the person or group he was going to attack. Therefore, Bob Ewell’s personal perspective drove him to break into Judge Taylor’s house. Additionally, a final disturbance that describes the significance of perspective in this novel is Bob Ewell’s attempt to kill Atticus’ children. This event simply would not have taken place if Bob Ewell had not possessed an attitude towards Atticus prior to his endeavor. For example, if Atticus had not been the man defending Tom Robinson in court, Mr. Ewell would have had no reason to assault his children. This is because of the fact that Mr. Ewell felt personally attacked by anyone that was on Tom’s side of the court case, including Atticus. In the end, this led to his final attempt at trying to prove himself superior towards Atticus and, in an indirect way, towards the people who had a differing opinion of Tom Robinson and the case than he did himself. This proves that a different perspective or viewpoint on certain events change the way that people perceive a situation to …show more content…
This description of the Ewell home clearly demonstrates the extent to which Bob Ewell has no care for his family or his home. Although it could be argued that they are very poor and have no way of taking care of their property, it is no excuse for the subsequent explanation later in the chapter of his children being “dirty faced-ones at the windows” (Lee 171). Being indicated here is the different perspective Bob Ewell has of his own well-being and his children’s. It is evident he does not take the time to watch over his own family, further proven by the fact that Mayella is usually the one taking care of all of them. This viewpoint of Bob Ewell influences the way he lives his life and even how his own perspective, which is relatively uncaring, affects the lives of his own children, also. Bob Ewell cares much more about his own self than anyone else, and he especially cares about how other people view him. For example, it was stated “...Mr. Ewell kept the same distance behind her… crooning foul words” (Lee
Bob Ewell is, in essence, Atticus’ antithesis. If Atticus Finch represents the principled southern man then Bob Ewell certainly represents its darker, less attractive side. He lives in a rural squalor, a bedraggled mess of a house. A poverty stricken unemployed spiteful drunkard, Bob Ewell is looked down upon by all the members of the Maycomb community. His economic situation is at a point where his windows “...were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out varmints”(p187) . In such social disarray his racial prejudices have festered to an extreme point, where he is completely blind in his loathing towards Negroes or any sort of social difference. He labels Atticus a “...nigger-loving bastard”(p240), for defending Tom Robinson. This statement alone gives us a graphic insight into how his mind has become truly polluted with narrow-mindedness. Bob Ewell’s loathing of others is impressed further on the reader, when he takes out his prejudices against Atticus, by attempting to kill Jem and Scout. Bob Ewell is the polar opposite of Atticus. He has no sense of justice whatsoever and his very being is the basis of prejudice itself. What is worse is there are others who share in his characteristics.
One of the storylines in the novel is the Robinson-Ewell trial. Tom Robinson is an innocent African-American, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a lower-class white girl. At the trial hearing, everyone is able to tell his or her side of the story before Tom is allowed to speak. All stories, however, offer two different versions of Tom and Mayella’s relationship. Moreover, Mayella and Bob Ewell tell the jury what they expect to hear, about Tom being a monster. They explain that there was no reason for his actions against Mayella. According to them, along with the rest of Maycomb, it's just expected that a black man would rape any white woman if he had the opportunity. The Tom spoken of by the Ewells shows the stereotypes that justify whites to be superior to blacks. However, Tom tells the jury about his innocence. He pr...
In To Kill a Mockingbird, this theme of deluding oneself rather than admitting a painful truth is shown through the town of Maycomb itself, Mayella Ewell’s internal and external struggles in dealing with her feelings for Tom Robinson, and how Jem refuses to believe that the world he grew up in turns out to not be what he had imagined.
Examples included Mrs. Dubose, Bob Ewell, and Miss Gates, all of whom were vicious, spiteful, venomous, and intolerant. Miss Gates said she hated Hitler, but was then unkind to black people. Bob Ewell spit in Atticus’ face because Atticus destroyed his credibility at the trial. Mrs. Dubose was taking her pain out on Jem and Scout, two young children, by yelling at them and insulting their father. Maycomb was an atrocious person, antagonistic and racist. Today, there are still places and people like Maycomb. Our society must attempt to be more thoughtful and help others. We can all make an effort to be like Atticus, Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, Jem, and Scout- kindhearted characters. This novel shows that there can be moral people in a cruel place, good in evil, but it also proves the opposite. All of humanity has a wicked and villainous side, with no exceptions. Life is full of love and compassion, corruption and hate, and there will always be another side of the spectrum- another version of the
To begin with, being opposites, they hold the different viewpoints held in Maycomb’s society. Firstly, the most influential thing concerning a person’s viewpoint is their inner psyche, which can be portrayed by a literary device which shows a person’s stream of consciousness. Now, the only character that Lee really gets into is Scout. But, through Scout’s innocent eyes we see Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell as they really are. And it shows us on many different accounts that Atticus believes in equality for all. This does concur with some of Maycomb’s residents. The evidence that Bob Ewell is totally different, however, comes in the verbal output. Where Bob Ewell explicitly says at the trial: “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella.” We can clearly see how he regards coloured people like Tom Robinson. He cannot even be bothered to refer to him by his name, and instead uses derogatory terms. Lastly, when it comes to expressing a viewpoint, knowingly or unknowingly, body language is often the best teller. Take for example the Atticus’s cool and impeccably courteous manner, even when being shouted at by Mayella, he kept his head, or rather his body, in check. Contrastingly Bob Ewell is rather easy to read with his short temper and such. ...
quick". He does not care that he is dirty or he has head lice. He
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, racism is a major theme. Atticus Finch, the narrator’s father, defends a negro, Tom Robinson, in the court of law against a white man, Bob Ewell. Robinson had reportedly raped a young white girl, Mayella Ewell. But according to Robinson he had gone to help Mayella, as he often did, with work around the house. As he starts helping Mayella, she tries to get Tom to kiss her and will not let him out of the house. Bob Ewell sees this and chases Tom out of the house and accuses him of raping his daughter. Atticus goes against almost everyone in Maycomb County’s opinion in defending Tom Robinson. Throughout the course of the novel, racism effects many characters such as Tom and Helen Robinson, Scout and Jem Finch, and Mayella and Bob Ewell. All these characters had there lives
The lack of knowledge in Maycomb about the outside world and their opinions about black people ingrains ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’ into their minds as they have no other opinions about black people. This is shown by the crowd’s outrage as they gather to lynch Tom, not knowing that he was innocent, but blinded by their pre-conceived ideas about black people, thinking that Tom obviously did it as he was black. Their prejudice and ignorance blinded them to the fact that the Ewell’s had manipulated him to their own benefit. Also, this prejudice causes the people who are prejudiced to be as prejudiced towards people who are not. This is shown by Mrs Dubose’s statement to Jem, “Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for.” This shows that Atticus and his family are put on a lower level than normal citizens.
All the evidence and all the fingers point to Bob Ewell, however, the jury cannot find Tom Robinson due to the racism and bias that is ever present in Maycomb. The town knows the truth in about Bob Ewell. Although nobody will explicitly say it, every person in the town realizes what actually happened the evening of November twenty first. No person wants to be the first to break the mold. Every individual waits for someone else to connect the dots and speak the truth, but because Bob Ewell is white, Tom Robinson is convicted for the crimes. Bob Ewell, even though was never sentenced to jail time, is the second looser in this situation. Although Bob Ewell is never imprisoned, Atticus’s mission is accomplished; the goal was never to prove Tom Robinson’s innocence, that was already clear. Atticus’s goal was to prove Bob Ewell’s crimes. Atticus from day one knows that he has no chance of winning the trial when he says, “Simply because we were licked one hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (101). Atticus realizes that, since Maycomb will not allow Tom to be found innocent, that the enviorment that Tom has been accuses in does not have the open mindedness that would even give a
One of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird is Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell is a selfish drunk who doesn't know how to control himself. He beats his children and he can’t hold a steady job for long. He is obsessed with revenge for Atticus for making him look like a fool at the trial of Tom Robinson, whom Ewell’s daughter is accusing of rape. Because of his false testimony, he can never be trusted again in front of the whole courtroom. He will do anything to get back at Atticus, and is willing to go as far as going after his children. He also has a grudge against the judge in the trial, and against the wife of the accused. Bob is crazy and delusional and is trying to gain back his reputation by taking down all the people that went against him in
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the themes of perspective and viewpoint are very evident and create a unique dimension to how the book can be considered. It gives the reader the ability to visually examine the book through different viewpoints and to have a different reading experience each time the book is read. Some of the very important reasons why perspective and viewpoint are so important towards To Kill a Mockingbird for many reasons, but a few of the most important include the narrator’s (Scout’s) outlook based on the fact that she is a young girl, the fact that black people are very mistreated, and do not feel they should be and the way that Boo Radley outlooks on life. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee wants one to comprehend
"The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells,'" Atticus solemnly explains this to his brother. First of all, Atticus demonstrates courage when he undertakes the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape. Atticus knows he won't win the case and like Mrs. Dubose in her battle against morphine, he is "licked" before he begins. Nevertheless, Atticus knows that Tom is innocent and that he must fight for him, since no one else will. Atticus's strong sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom with vigor and determination, giving it all he's got with one mission in mind. He wants the people of Maycomb town, whether they believe it or not, to hear the truth about Tom, "That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told"
Hypocrisy is as much a part of Maycomb’s society as church and community spirit. For example, Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mruans from Africa, but she thinks black people in her community are a disgrace (p.234). The hypocrisy of this teaching is shown as soon as she mentions the word ‘persecution’. This is due to the fact that she herself is persecuting the black people of Maycomb by not raising an eyebrow at the killing of innocent black men. Furthermore, it is obvious Bob Ewell is abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and that he is the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson (p.178). Since there is such hypocrisy in Maycomb, there are excuses made for whites. The jury probably thinks that if they pronounce Tom innocent the citizens will mock them as they do to Atticus. Harper Lee uses hypocrisy to show how the people of Maycomb are so engulfed in a variety of elements that they unknowingly complete acts of unjustified discrimination.
A small city nestled in the state of Alabama, Maycomb has got its faults, just like any other place in the world, but one of its main faults or (pg.88) “Maycomb's usual disease,” as Atticus calls it in the book is prejudice. Jem and Scout learn a lot about prejudice when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell and their father, Atticus, is called on to be his lawyer. They realize the hate that people have buried deep within their heart when they see a black man accused of doing something only because of his color. On pg.241, Scout starts understanding this and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” As the case continues, up until the death of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout learn more and more about prejudice and how the hate that people have towards others causes them to take wrong actions. They also see how unfair it is that a white man can get treated better and think of himself better than a black man only because he was born white. This prejudice and the trial cause Jem and Scout to get in argum...
In Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird the protagonist Scout face offenses by others because of her father's justice for defending an African American in court. Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, in the sleepy town of Maycomb during the Great Depression. As Atticus, the father of the protagonist faces the moral dilemma in chapter 29-30 of the incident with Bob Ewell. Atticus moral dilemma will reveal his character and his beliefs. Bob Ewell attempted to hurt Atticus children in order to get revenge on Atticus for defending the African American who was accused of raping his daughter in court. Atticus has a hard time of choosing whether to tell the town that Bob Ewell died of an accident, or his son or Boo Radley killed Bob Ewell. Atticus is a famous lawyer in Maycomb and he believes in legal justice.