The reason that Bob Ewell takes the risk of accusing Tom Robinson is that he knows that the court will be against Tom and that he will almost certainly lose the trial. What he does not take into account, however, is Atticus Finch and the determination that he is going to have for this case.
Revenge also takes a big place in the story. When Tom Robinson is being held in jail, Atticus has to stay and guard against lynch mobs trying to take the law into their own hands, and attempting to kill Tom Robinson themselves. They are eventually persuaded to stop by Scout, who unwittingly reminds them of who they are and how inhuman what they are trying to do really is. Also, Bob Ewell comes back to Atticus to take his children as a form of revenge. Although Tom Robinson was dead and Ewell had won the case, Bob Ewell was not a great hero, as he had expected, but rejected even more by society. The whole town new that it was Mayella was guilty and not Tom Robinson and they hated Bob Ewell for sending him to his death and breaking up his family.
There is also a degree of resentment for others in the book. For example, Boo Radley is thought of as a terrible monster and all manner of wild tales are told of him by the children (and to some extent, the adults) of Maycomb. This is all because nobody has ever seen him, and there is a great deal of mystery surrounding his existence. He is eventually revealed to be a good samaritan, rescuing the children, and all the stories are proved false. Another instance of resentment is towards Atticus before the trial. People are angry and confused at the idea that a white man is doing so much to help and defend a black man. The entire Finch family suffers because of this, the children, especially, are mocked about their father. Many of the mockers probably do not even understand what they are saying, they just follow the rest. Mrs Dubose, a neighbour of the Finch family, also insults Jem and Scout, saying how they have been brought up with no control, and that their father is “no better than the trash he works for”.
There are many different relationships that go on in the book, some are bad, such as the ones I have just described, but many are good. For example, by the end of the trial, nearly every single member of the audience was backing Atticus and Tom Robinson because they knew that he was not guilty. Also, Boo Radley turns out to be one of the most friendly, helpful people in the story. Amid the arguments and discriminations is goodness and love that is slowly blooming and growing, for, as Ms Maudie says, “people are changing”.
