Character Foils One instance of a foil from “To Kill A Mockingbird”, is of Bob Ewell and Walter Cunningham Both are poverty-stricken. Bob endeavor to do what is best with what they posses and the Ewell is cold-hearted and malign. Mr. Cunningham's are admired by the community while Mr.Ewell is loathed by members of Maycomb society. Mr. Cunningham's is noble and trustworthy, whereas Mr.Ewell's is a con artist.
(Lee 24). The Ewells also do not care about how dirty they are, or how disgusting they look. Scout explained how gross Burris looked by saying “ he was the most filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark gray and his hands were rusty and his nails were black deep” (Lee 25). This proves that they obviously do not care about their appearance or how ridiculous they look in public.
While the Ewells only “come the first day then leave” (27); Cunningham 's try to go as much as they can. Eventually, they have to go back and work in the fields. Finally, the last way they clash is their manners. The Ewells are selfish are spend their “relief checks on green wisky” (31). On the
Y - They are Dirty Burris has “cooties” aka head lice Burris has dirt layers on his skin Y - They are Disrespectful Law breakers Burris only shows up for the first day of school Burris goes hunting during the non-hunting season G - Clearly the ewells are dirty, disrespectful people and above were just some of their family's traits The Ewells are portrayed in the book as careless and rude people, and there are many traits that can be used to describe them. One example of an acceptable trait for the Ewell family is the word dirty. Burris comes to school with layers of dirt sewn to his skin.
Ewells vs. Cunninghams In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee two families, Ewells and Cunninghams, have many differences. One difference would be, their respect toward their teacher. While the Ewells are rude, the Cunninghams are very polite. An example of the Ewells rudeness is when he says, “Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a school teacher born c’n make me do nothing” (28).
They are also responsible for not protecting Tom Robinson from being wrongly accused of something he did not do. Bob Ewell is the main antagonist in the novel, he is an abusive racist and drunk. The Ewells are the trashiest people in the town of Maycomb county but not because of where they live. In the novel, it states, “Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations” (Lee 33) They are the source of all the town’s problems, especially Bob Ewell. The Ewells are a family that has never been able to gain respect from the rest of Maycomb.
Atticus was leaning on the post office, when “Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him.” Yet Atticus did nothing to Mr. Ewell (Lee, 217). Atticus could easily get Mr. Ewell in trouble for doing that stuff. Atticus is not going to stoop down to his level. At the beginning of the story the Cunningham’s come to eat and eat more than a normal person would eat.
This should have hinted to the judges that something was wrong with their testimonies but since they were white their testimonies were believed to be true. Price and Ewell also shared bad reputations in their towns. A neighbor of Price described her as being “a common street prostitute of the lowest type” (Linder, “Victoria Price”). Atticus described the Ewells as being “a disgrace to Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day of work in his recollection…they were people but they lived like animals” (Lee 20).
The Ewell’s were the kind of people in the county that should never be trusted, but once they were put in a situation regarding a black man, suddenly they were the truthful ones. Furthermore, during a conversation with Calpurnia on page 164, Scout thought about how believable the Ewells were, “‘It’s because of what folks say Tom’s done,” she said… ‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail…’ ‘Why, Atticus said they were absolute trash - I never heard Atticus talk about folks the way he talked about the Ewells…’” The Ewell family had the reputation of being terrible people, and even Atticus said that. However, a majority of people in town still thought Bob Ewell to be speaking the truth because he was accusing an African American, and they are always below everyone
The Ewells try to prove that Tom is guilty by using racial profiling so they can look good in Maycomb and can still be accepted towards society. “To Kill a Mocking” by Harper Lee, uses negative connotative language, and symbolism to persuade her meaning. Lee also uses distinctive characters in order to persuade her meaning. She explains that Aunt Alexandra’s judgment affect the Cunningham’s and The Ewells judgement made Tom guilty.
Jem and Scout realize from their father that some children may not have the same respect from their parents as Atticus respects them. Atticus states that Ewell’s father buys himself cheap whiskey for his own satisfaction, and he does not bother to buy his children food as they starve (Lee 34). The Ewells do not have a very good home life, and the children realize that respect is the best option for this family. They should give them the respect they deserve, and not the respect they get from their parents and home
Atticus tells his children “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s world against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (251-52). This quote alone shows great prejudice because it judges someone because of the color of their skin instead of their innocence which they should be judged off of. When you first begin reading the novel you notice that everyone you meet has a reputation by their last or first name. As you meet the new people as you progress in the book you realize that no matter who a person is they are judged by their name. Scout states in the novel “ He’s a Cunningham.. the Cunninghams never took anything they can't take back” (22).
The whites don’t accept the Ewells because they live like pigs. The blacks don’t accept the Ewells because they are white. Scout stated, “... Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world… When Atticus asked had she any friends, she seemed not to know what he meant, then she thought he was making fun of her… Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her.
The Ewells are known for being “poor white trash” and do not follow morals or have manners of any kind. On Scout’s first day of school, Burris Ewell makes Miss Caroline cry. When his teacher tells him to go to the principal’s office, he responds with, “‘Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c’n make me do nothin’!’” (Lee 37). Burris continues to insult her until she is crying as he storms out of her classroom leaving everyone in astonishment.
The poorest white families in Maycomb County were the Cunninghams and the Ewells, who were living behind the town 's garage dump. “ ' '... The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them the hardest. ' '”18 For example, Walter Cunningham and Burris Ewells ' characters are both bullied at school, since they do not have the money for lunch or clean clothes. “...Walter Cunningham was sitting there lying his head off.
