To Kill a Mockingbird: Discuss Your Opinion Of The Ewells
The Ewells play a significant part in this story of "To Kill a Mockingbird". In the first chapter, Scout mentions the Ewells to us that the "Ewells started it all". Scout means that the Ewells had an affect on the residents of Maycomb. The story will involve an allegation of rape and the way black and white issues (the prejudice that runs through the whole of the story) are covered. Burris Ewell, the son of Bob Ewell, shows how bad his living conditions are. He has head lice and is very dirty. Scout describes him as: "He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark grey, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick". He does not care that he is dirty or he has head lice. He cannot read, write or spell his name. He has no mother and Mayella Ewell brings him up. From the very beginning of the story, the Ewells are portrayed badly. Scout learns from her father that she had to go to school but the Ewells do not. Atticus explains that the Ewells are not regular people and this goes back three generations: "None of them (Ewells) had done an honest dayÆs work in his recollection. He said that some Christmas, when he was getting ride of the trees, he would take me with him and show m
e where and how they lived. They were people, but they lived like animals." This quote shows us the prejudice that the Ewells experience from other people in Maycomb because of their low social position in the town. We learn about the Ewells mainly in the court case when Mayella Ewell has accused a black man, Tom Robinson of raping her. From the court case we learn that Bob Ewell is ignorant and quite crude in his use of language and his background: "Every town the size of Maycomb had families like the Ewells. No economic fluctuations changed their status - people like the Ewells lived as guests of the country in prosperity as well as in the depths of a depression." The Ewells lived in dirty conditions, have no money and are unemployed. They are considered to be "White trash"; they are uneducated, full of disease and do not seem to care. The Ewells lived "behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin". When the weather was very cold Ewells could not afford shoes and so cut "dandy ones from strips of old tyres". Tom Robinson asks where are the children and Mayella Ewell "says they all gone to town to get ice-creams. She says, "Took me a slap year to save sebum nickels, but I done it. They all have gone to town." Mr Gilmer starts to question Robert Ewell and his language is very crude. He talks about how Mayella Ewells screamed like a "stuck hog". This shows us that he had no sympathy for his daughter. Mr Ewell takes Gods name in vain when he says, "Mayella was screaming fit to beat Jesus". Harper Lee shows Mr Ewell as a character that we do not have sympathy because he swears, he is rude and does not deserve any respect because he does not show it for anyone else. In his questioning by Atticus we learn that Mr Ewell does not call a doctor as he cannot afford the five dollars. We learn that Mayellass black eye was on the right hand side and Mr Ewell was left handed. This is Atticus defence for Tom Robinson as he cannot use his left hand. Mayella Violet Ewell is called to the stand and she starts to cry to get sympathy f
Some topics in this essay:
Bob Ewell,
Heck Tate,
Violet Ewell,
Mayella Ewell,
Ewells Link,
Lee Ewell,
Tom Robinson,
None Ewells,
Boo Radleyà,
Miss Mayella,
tom robinson,
mayella ewell,
bob ewell,
ewells lived,
ewell call,
people maycomb,
court learn,
ewell called,
head lice,
gone town,
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Approximate Word count = 1378
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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