Preview

Character Analysis Of The Ewells In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
337 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Character Analysis Of The Ewells In To Kill A Mockingbird
When characterizing the Ewells, Harper Lee portrays them as a family who doesn’t care what people think about them and that they are a non-law abiding family. The Ewells are a family that doesn’t care what other people think about them because of the family’s attitude. In class Burris is very rude to the teacher and doesn’t care if he gets in trouble with the school or not. The Elwell children do not tell the truth and are never honest. Mr. Ewell doesn’t provide or care for his children, and while the community shuns him for not taking care of his children, he had done nothing to change his ways or attitude towards caring for his children. Their attitudes toward their hygiene is also very poor. On the first day of first grade, Burris shows

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “Burris Ewell, remember? He just goes to school the first day. The truant lady reckons she’s carried out the law when she gets his name on the roll-”.(Lee 30). She shouldn’t have compared herself to Burris Ewell because the Ewells have a much more difficult and different life from her own. “Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day’s work in his recollection. They were people, but they lived like animals.” (Lee 31). Atticus is telling Scout that she shouldn’t not go to school and think just because someone else doesn’t show up to school doesn’t mean she should do that and think it's right. She should take this opportunity that others don’t…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scout is by far an interesting and unordinary child in the novel of To Kill a Mockingbird. She is the main character and narrator of the story. She is the youngest child of Atticus Finch who is a lawyer and Scout also has an older brother named Jem. What makes Scouts character so special is that she changes her qualities throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel Scout is an innocent and kind-hearted six-year old girl, only because she has not encountered the true evils of the world. As the novel progresses Scout starts to face evil encounters such as racism, and townspeople wanting to hurt her and her family. These evil encounters and Atticus’s wisdom are the reasons to why Scout has unique character traits. Scout is a fascinating character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird because she possesses traits of intelligence, courage, and compassion.…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a perfect example of how the plot progression of the story was closely related to the character development. Lee used Jean Louise, also known as “Scout” as a main model of character development, as she grows through her understandings of racism, how to handle social situations and her intelligence . The plot progression throughout the novel was very close in relationship of bildungsroman in the characters personal stories. This book being fiction is not true but it depicts how life was during the time period of the 1930’s. The characters also are very close to portraying common people of the time in Macon County of Alabama.…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mr. Ewell has his reasons for being a person of such low-level. Jem Finch, Mr. Finch’s son, recalls, “No public health officer could free [the Ewells] from congenital defects, various worms, and the diseases indigenous to filthy surrounding. [They] lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin.” All this could explain his mean attitude, unappreciated satire given during the court trial, and possibly a reason for why Mr. Ewell could have been the one who beat his own daughter.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is characterized as mental or moral strength to surpass notions of fear. As demonstrated by Atticus Finch and Mrs Dubose in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the development of courage gives the character’s strength and courage to hold their heads high, while fearing none. Harper Lee depicts the theme of courage incalculable amount of times, detailing courage as “ when you know you’re licked before you being, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (Chapter 11, Page 124) All of the characters have an alternate kind of perspective of what courage is exactly, which will be examined in depth.…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Analyse how a significant event illustrated one or more key theme(s) in the written text.…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First off, the Ewell family is irresponsible. For example, Burris does not know how to spell his name. As stated in the text, “Don’t know how. They call me Burris’t home” (Lee 35). Burris did not even know how to spell his own name. This shows that his caretakers are irresponsible. Another reason that they are irresponsible is because they only go to school the first day. As the novel explains, “They come first day every year and then leave...You’re supposed to mark ‘em absent the rest of the year…” (Lee 36). Going to school only one day a year also shows irresponsible caretakers. They do not care if their children get an education. The last reason why the Ewell family is irresponsible is because they do not have a mother. As the text says, “Ain’t got no mother…” (Lee 36). Without a mother, the children may not have anyone to teach them the important necessities they need to learn if their dad does not. If they had a mother, she might have taught them to be responsible. Secondly, the Ewell family is dirty. For example, Burris had cooties. As the novel explains, “The cootie’s host showed not the faintest interest in the furor he had wrought” (Lee 34). Burris was not phased by the cooties. He was so dirty he was used to it. Another reason they are dirty is when Burris did not know why his teacher told him to use soap. As the text states, “...I want you to go home and wash your hair with lye soap...what fer missus?” (Lee 35). Burris did not understand why she would want him to wash himself. He was constantly this dirty, he did not know better. The last reason why the Ewell family was dirty was because his whole body was dirty. As the text explains, “He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark gray, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick” (Lee 35). Burris is an extremely dirty boy. He is always dirty because he does…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harper Lee characterizes the Ewell family very vividly in three key ways. The first Ewell we met was Burris, which Scout described as a very filthy person. She said that his neck was dark gray and his hands were rusty. The Ewells as a family were also described to dwell like animals. Burris has no mom and a dad that is described as controversial. Bob Ewell (the father) supposedly spent relief checks on green whiskey while his children are crying from hunger pains. His parent figures, or lack thereof, explain why he said rude remarks about Miss Caroline as he was walking out of the school because Miss Caroline said she was going to report him to the principal for truancy. The Ewells also have special laws because the common folk just become blind to the Ewell’s practices and judiciously grant them these privileges. For one thing, they can hunt out of season because of Bob’s poor spending habits. This action was described as a misdemeanor in Maycomb County. The Ewells also did not have to go to school. Atticus says that the truant lady could force them into going to school, but is no use forcing people like the Ewells into a new environment. This is why Burris was walking out of class while insulting the teacher. The truant lady figures she has carried out the…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel to kill a mockingbird they present Atticus Finch a character who seems Christ like centered. However Maycomb the small town where to kill a mockingbird takes place is racist we will see how Atticus acts upon this. Atticus is a Christ like centered character because he has many similar characteristics to Jesus. This essay talks about three traits; loving, compassionate, caring.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The lesson taught to Scout by Calpurnia was that you if you invite someone over, you let them eat however they want to eat. This arose from the scene where Walter was drowning his dinner with syrup. Scout can use this lesson to be more respectful to her guest. The lesson that Atticus taught Scout is that you must walk around in their skin to fully understand them. This arose from when Scout did not was to go to school and for Atticus to teach her just like how Atticus's father taught him and Uncle Jack. Scout could use this to be more empathic with other…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this story Harper lee displays the Ewell family as a disgrace and filthy. They are a disgrace all over Maycomb, Alabama for multiple reasons. For one thing Jem and Scouts dad Atticus almost never talks bad about people, but when it comes to the Ewell family he states that they are a disgrace. Atticus talks about how for three generations they have never done an industrious day’s worth of work. It was also mentioned in the book that, “they were people, but they lived like animals (Lee 40). Also the family is always doing what they want. Every year they go to school only for the first day and never get in trouble. They don’t do any work in town and are “members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells” (Lee 41). The people allow the family…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As most people have read the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, many have wondered, what contributes most to the story’s themes? Well, throughout the novel, there are three main literary elements that come into play. In the passage “‘It ain’t right, Atticus…”’(pg.284) to “I looked up, and his face was vehement”(pg.296), Harper Lee uses the literary element character, setting, and tone to develop the theme that recognizing perspectives contributes to coming of age. As many other themes in the novel, the theme will show a change in how Jem starts to view the world, and the major roles included in it, such as racism. But his perspective comes mostly from the kind of character he is.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I have learnt that while parents have authority over their children some of them use this power over their children in a positive way that benefits the children, for example Atticus Finch, while others abuse their power like Bob Ewell. Harper Lee uses contrast to show the difference between the parenting styles of both these men. The Ewell’s reputation is put to practice and shown to the community when Bob Ewell’s son Burris Ewell comes to the very first day of school. We are then told that the Ewell’s only go to school on the first day of school. We are then old this is the only day they ever come. After this Miss Caroline gets into an argument with Burris Ewell. When Burris Ewell is told to leave he replies “Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a school teacher ever born c’n make me do nothin’! You ain’t makin’ me go no where, missus.” His use of abusive and offensive language clearly shows his lack of respect for women and the power and authority she holds over him. It is assumed that this lack of respect stems from his father, Bob Ewell, abusive and negative roll modelling.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I believe in judging someone by their actions and character rather than by the color of their skin and sexuality. This I believe because there is good and bad in all of us. The color of our skin does not depict the flaws we have. In the second amendment it states that all men are created equal, but we still do not treat each other equally. Defending Tom Robinson was not easy because I knew that from the minute Mayella opened her mouth Tom was a dead man. But everyone including a black man deserves a second chance. How could I ever tell my own children “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” if I didn’t pick up Tom’s case because I was afraid of what people would think of me. When people say things about me like “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” why would I prove them wrong? You are only as good as you portray yourself to be. But when you are a black man in the town of Maycomb, Alabama you were never dealt the good hand to begin with. Sadly Tom never got a second chance. Tom was a good man but because of the color of his skin he was not treated as fairly as the rest of us.…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Everybody experiences change in their life. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem grows up during his time in Maycomb, and he begins to understand the town and it’s negatives. Maycomb is packed with negatives, starting from the discrimination between blacks and whites, and the four kinds of folks, each treated worse or better. Jem is able to embrace the town and learn from it through major events taken place in the novel. As Jem starts to understand the social classes, two reasons that prove this are his understanding of the town’s groupings and his understanding of what occurred in the courtroom, the readers relate to the development through the understanding of differences in people and society.…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays