Human nature can get in the way of many desirable traits, courage being one of them. Most people want to be courageous, but they act cowardly under pressure. People often lash out when provoked, which is usually seen as brave, but it actually suggests quite the opposite. As Charles Dickens remarks, it’s cowardly to avoid doing the right thing, and fighting with others definitely doesn’t count as right. Walking away from confrontation actually takes more courage than participating in conflict. Atticus and Scout, two characters from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, realize that courage walks hand in hand with peace. Lee suggests that the most courageous people often win their battles peacefully, while acting aggressively reveals cowardice.
…show more content…
Bob Ewell is the worst of the worst. He can’t keep a job, spends all his money on alcohol, he beats his children, and he basically hates everyone, especially black people. His reputation is awful, but he tries to maintain his reputation so it doesn’t go from awful to dreadful. So when his daughter Mayella tries to come onto a black man, Tom Robinson, Bob tries to salvage what’s left of his reputation. He beats Mayella for breaking such a rigid societal code, but then he realizes that if people find out he beat his daughter, they would think even lesser of him. So Bob tries to cover it up by accusing Tom Robinson of raping Mayella, instead of owning up to his own mistakes. Bob is such a despicable coward that he attempts to transfer the blame to somebody innocent. He tells the sheriff, Mr. Heck Tate, that Tom had beaten and raped his daughter, even though Mayella’s injuries were caused by Bob. This false rape case gets taken to court, where Mr. Tate states, “‘I was just leaving my office to go home when B-- Mr. Ewell came in, very excited he was, and said to get out to his house quick, some n*****’d raped his girl’” (166-167). Surely Bob felt excited-- excited that he had come up with a scheme to transfer the blame. Bob’s accusation of Tom ends up landing Tom in jail, all because of Bob’s cowardice and selfishness. Tom is eventually killed trying to escape prison. But acting so aggressively in order to solve his problems doesn’t work well for Bob. During the trial, Tom’s defense lawyer Atticus makes a fool out of Bob and proves him a liar. After the trial ends, Bob holds a grudge against Atticus and his family. He even goes as far as threatening to kill Atticus. When Atticus remains unbothered by Bob’s threats, Bob decides to target what Atticus cares about most: his children, Jem and Scout. On Halloween night, Bob Ewell follows the children home, armed with a switchblade. Intent on seeking
Bob Ewell is the worst of the worst. He can’t keep a job, spends all his money on alcohol, he beats his children, and he basically hates everyone, especially black people. His reputation is awful, but he tries to maintain his reputation so it doesn’t go from awful to dreadful. So when his daughter Mayella tries to come onto a black man, Tom Robinson, Bob tries to salvage what’s left of his reputation. He beats Mayella for breaking such a rigid societal code, but then he realizes that if people find out he beat his daughter, they would think even lesser of him. So Bob tries to cover it up by accusing Tom Robinson of raping Mayella, instead of owning up to his own mistakes. Bob is such a despicable coward that he attempts to transfer the blame to somebody innocent. He tells the sheriff, Mr. Heck Tate, that Tom had beaten and raped his daughter, even though Mayella’s injuries were caused by Bob. This false rape case gets taken to court, where Mr. Tate states, “‘I was just leaving my office to go home when B-- Mr. Ewell came in, very excited he was, and said to get out to his house quick, some n*****’d raped his girl’” (166-167). Surely Bob felt excited-- excited that he had come up with a scheme to transfer the blame. Bob’s accusation of Tom ends up landing Tom in jail, all because of Bob’s cowardice and selfishness. Tom is eventually killed trying to escape prison. But acting so aggressively in order to solve his problems doesn’t work well for Bob. During the trial, Tom’s defense lawyer Atticus makes a fool out of Bob and proves him a liar. After the trial ends, Bob holds a grudge against Atticus and his family. He even goes as far as threatening to kill Atticus. When Atticus remains unbothered by Bob’s threats, Bob decides to target what Atticus cares about most: his children, Jem and Scout. On Halloween night, Bob Ewell follows the children home, armed with a switchblade. Intent on seeking