How Does Bob Ewell Use Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Imagine having your life completely destroyed by a fraudulent charge just because of the color of your skin. There are many examples of hypocrisy in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Some of the most glaring examples of hypocrisy come from three female characters: Mrs. Dubose, Mrs. Merriweather, and Mrs. Gates. Each character said a hypocritical statement in this novel. A quote and detailed context will be used to explain to the full extent what was hypocritical with their statement.

Introduction Prejudice refers to the judgements towards a person because of their race, social class, age, disability or sexual orientation. (Cherry, “What is Prejudice?”) Prejudice was, and still is, to a large extent experienced by people all over the world. It is a theme that is presented in so many works of literature in a plethora of different ways. One of the most prominent ways in which prejudice is explored is through the use of characters that perhaps are a different nationality or have a different orientation to the majority of the other characters in the works. Two texts, in which the theme is presented in an admirable way , are ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, and ‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvey. Through the use of the

It is important to put yourself in one’s shoes. By doing so, you can understand that person’s situation better. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Aunt Alexandra is prejudiced towards social classes, and Bob Ewell is prejudiced towards people whose skin color is different than his.

Moreover, racism is one of the biggest problems not only in the book but also in the world. It creates much conflict and makes many innocent, like Tom Robinson become wrongly accused felons. The trial of Tom Robinson serves as the highly-anticipated moment in the novel. Tom Robinson is accused of raping a young white woman named Mayella. The oldest child, Mayella becomes a mother figure for her younger siblings. In addition, the novel implies that Mayella is involved in an abusive relationship with her father. While Atticus represents justice and morality, Bob Ewell represents ignorance and racial prejudice. In fact, Bob Ewell’s full name is Robert E. Lee Ewell, named after the general who commanded the Confederate army. The name

The novels: To Kill A Mockingbird and When A Girl Is Born show a common feature of having the courage to call in question the social norms of their society. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus challenges Maycomb's ways as he defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. By doing so, he is accepting the impossible by admitting that a black man is innocent and hence accusing a white folk of being guilty. As a result of doing so, he attracts many hardships. For instance, Bob Ewell disrespects Atticus by spitting on him, in return Atticus says, "So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take." This quote shows how Atticus considers the ignorant and cruel paradigm

To Kill a Mockingbird taught viewers a lot of lessons about racial prejudice, prejudice, and bravery, and that caused the critics to praise the film. An example of racial prejudice in the film is when Atticus is sitting outside the jail protecting Tom Robinson because there was a concern of a lynch mob coming for Tom. Everyone in the mob believes Tom is guilty because of the color of his skin. Then, Scout, Jem, and Dill run up to defend Atticus from the mob. Scout spots Mr. Cunningham among the group, and asks him how his entailments are coming along. Scout also says she goes to school with his son. When Scout tells Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad, the group and Mr. Cunningham look ashamed. Then, Mr. Cunningham tells the group to clear out. The group of people that came to lynch

African Americans were the primary target of most racist acts in the 1930s. Blacks suffered harsher conditions and were forced off their lands and farms. Robert Ewell is one of the worst racists who abuses everything about the blacks and what they own. He explains how worthless they are when he says Tom Robinson: “lived down yonder in that nigger-nest.” This shows how Blacks were seen as inferior and substandard compared to the whites of Maycomb. The whites who have their minds set about colour of the skin is destroying people’s relations and causing the situation and political stability to worsen. Furthermore, the whites compare the black area as a 'nest ' showing how immoral they are and how low they put the blacks.

Throughout the 1930’s, many difficulties surrounded the United States of America, for the economy was experiencing a Great Depression and society was getting caught up in racism. During this time, African Americans were considered “less than” by their white peers, who were thought of as “superior” and were the ones to accept the unjust judgement. Racial discrimination hit very hard in the south, segregating what was believed to be the good versus the evil. For example, in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, negroes were frequently hanged and killed due to their “gruesome” beliefs and appearances. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, characters such as Calpurnia, Atticus, and Tom Robinson were densely impacted by racial bigotry.

Life is like a thrill ride; one never knows what will be in store for them. Many characters in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee feel the same way about life, having experienced many surprising and unexpected turns of events. This story is about a sleepy southern town filled with prejudice, and a lawyer’s quest, along with his children Scout and Jem, to take steps in ridding the town of its prejudiced attitude. Despite being a white man, a lawyer named Atticus, defends an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. However, everything does not go as was hoped, and the mindset of the society overpowered Atticus’s fair-minded argument. From this emerges a theme regarding the bigotry and bias overwhelming Maycomb: A

Prejudice is a belief of someone without actual knowledge or experience. In the 1930s, racism and prejudice was very extreme in the US, and black people were treated as second-class citizens. In 1960, Harper Lee published the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and it explored issues of racism based on color and prejudice in the 1930s. Justice was not served in the Tom Robinson trial because of racism. Directed by society’s expectations, the white society was to remain the dominant class in Maycomb County.

Another presence of judgment in the novel is present in the character of Bob Ewell, an oblivious, grimy, abusive father, who looks down upon Negroes, believing he can take full advantage of them because he is of the white race. Scout declares that, “all [Bob Ewell] had that made him any better than his [Black] neighbors was, that if he scrubbed with lye soap in very hot water, his skin was white” (Lee 229). This indicates that the population of Maycomb judges primarily on race instead of morals, ethics, income, personality, or lifestyle, which further proves the segregation occurring within the South. This excerpt means that the community is more accepting of an unmannerly, poor, and often-drunk man rather than an honest, harmless black man, such as Tom Robinson. Skin color is the main eparation of the people for it determines who are neglected and who are treated like royalty. Furthermore, Mr. Ewell verifies his prejudiced nature, when, “[h]e stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. ‘I seen that black nigger yonder rutttin’ on my Mayella’” (Lee 231). This further reveals Mr. Ewell’s biased behavior because it presents him mistreating Tom Robinson. Lee uses words

In particular, prejudice becomes evident in the development for several characters in the Maycomb area such as Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell. According to the author, Scout, Atticus's daughter, going to her father asking why someone was calling him a “nigger lover”; upon discovery, Atticus takes the time to exclaim that there is nothing to worry about because that comment goes to show just how ignorant society can

‘It’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves,” (Lee 283). This is one of the many prejudiced sayings that have been stated about The Black Community in To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s which was a tremendously racist town at that point in time. Throughout the book the highly anticipated court case involving Tom Robinson, a Negro, made many people’s true prejudice show. Prejudice, is one of the biggest hardships in To Kill a Mockingbird and is felt through Tom Robinson, The Black Community, and the children.

The character of Arthur Radley is a major example of injustice. Within the book, Lee describes a character, misjudged in the town of Maycomb, the majority of his life; his name was Arthur Radley. Mr. Radley, Arthur Radley’s father, treated him continuously with unusual punishment which caused Arthur to remain in his house. As the years passed, his mental state deteriorated causing the neighbors and town to become frightened of him.This was not only because of growing suspicion, but because of rumors and gossip. The way Arthur was

Refusal to “...never took anything they can’t pay back..” maintains the belief that the citizens of Maycomb want to be self-sufficient for they do not want to be indebted to others, they want to be self-respecting and only ask for what they can give back. Part I emphasizes this claim, with many of the characters fitting this description, except one: Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell is the father of the accuser, introduced in Part II during the trial. The trial ends in his favor, with Tom Robinson, the accused, being convicted. Why would Lee decide to make Ewell this way? Why have him not adhere to any of the South’s principal beliefs and instead, be a typical Southern caricature, as viewed by others? Harper Lee characterizes Bob Ewell this way to make a point. In Part II, the jury sides with Ewell, despite incriminating evidence held against him. Why? Because he is white. Harper Lee’s characterization of Bob Ewell as a poor excuse of a human being displaying no redeeming qualities contributes to her purpose, that the audience does not want to side with someone like Bob Ewell solely to their