What Does Bob Ewell Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee makes it utterly clear that true heroes do not always wear shining armor. For example, when Bob Ewell had publicly threatened Atticus and his children’s safety after being humiliated during the Tom Robinson trial, Atticus simply stood quietly before him while Bob spat in his face. Some may have thought this was cowardly, but Atticus’s intentions were nearly the opposite for “if spitting in [his] face and threatening [him] saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something [Atticus would] gladly take” (116). Atticus was entirely aware of the wrong that Bob Ewell and Mayella had committed towards Tom Robinson. He understood that if Bob Ewell did not take his wrath out on Atticus he would carry