Bob Ewell Cruelty

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In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the author exhibits her ideas on racism, social statuses, and religion. Through the actions of the characters Mayella, Bob, and Mrs. Merriweather cruelty shows its effects on others. Harper Lee demonstrates how social status causes people to treat each other with cruelty and the effects of it through major and minor characters. In Maycomb, the Ewells are looked down upon as a result of their social status, lack of wealth, and Bob being a heavy drinker. The town practically negates the existence of their family, visiting them once a year at most. This cruelty seems to fuel Bob’s need for attention and forms his reasoning for abusing Mayella and accusing Tom of such terrible acts. If the town had at least paid a little more attention to the Ewells, this whole predicament might not have occurred. Instead of ignoring them the town should have helped them, financially, and …show more content…
Her father, Bob Ewell, exhibits despicable actions of cruelty towards his daughter by physically laying harm towards her. The abuse of Mayella by the hands of her father is implied through Atticus’s cross examinations of Bob and Mayella, by Atticus asking Mayella if her father ever hit him. “...didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up”(213).This cruelty from Bob Ewell claims responsibility of Mayella’s disheveled appearance and most importantly, her false accusation of Tom Robinson. Her false accusation of Tom is driven by her fear of her father’s barbarism. This fear based on cruelty causes the conviction of an innocent black man. In addition to the consciousness driven to fear ,the reader can see that Bob abused Mayella seeing as her injuries are on the right side of her body whilst her father is a left handed man and Tom can’t use his left hand much as it is deformed. “... her right eye was blackened...You’re left-handed, Mr.

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