What do you think Lee has to say about being a father in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Bob Ewell is a complete contrast to Atticus as he is considered ‘white trash’. In the class system he and his family are considered to be just above the Negroes. He lives on benefits which he spends on alcohol so his children have to scavenge to find food at the tip. He doesn’t have any basic rules for his children allowing them to skip school and to do as they like. His eldest daughter Mayella is often left to look after the children especially when he often leaves them for days on their own. He is drunken, abusive and neglectful and a complete opposite to Atticus.

I think Lee uses such a large contrast between these characters to make sure that we side with the right people and that we see clearly the morals she is trying to convey. I think also that she describes the Ewells in such a way that you do feel sorry for them as they have such sad lives, but you still think that they have gotten what they deserve as they don’t do anything for the community and they disregard everyone’s feelings but their own. Although it possibly isn’t the children’s fault they act the way they do as they have been taught how to act around others by their father and as he is rude, ignorant and inconsiderate that’s how they believe they should behave.

Although he is portrayed to be a perfect father Atticus does have some flaws. He is possibly too trusting of the people of Maycomb County. When the lynch mob turn up at the Finch house Atticus doesn’t believe that they will do anything drastic but when they also arrive at the county jail to get Tom Robinson, Atticus might not have been able to get out of that situation had Scout not turned up and shamed the men into walking away. But Scout would not have shamed the men into leaving if she hadn’t learned a very important lesson from Atticus about empathy.

‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’

You can really tell the two fathers apart by the way they talk. Atticus uses polite language and is eloquent where as Bob Ewell uses harsh words and foul language.

‘Mayella was screamin’ fit to beat Jesus-‘

You can tell that Atticus has had a better education than Ewell. Atticus has learnt that it isn’t right to talk this way, in public or not, but Bob has never learnt that it is impolite to use foul language. He shows this in court when he is giving evidence.