Cameron Miranda
In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Ewells are a poor, disreputable family in Maycomb, Alabama, who engage in several illegal activities that are not actively punished by law enforcement due to their social status and the community's indifference. Bob Ewell, the father of the family, breaks the law by hunting out of season, and the Ewell children do not attend school regularly, both of which are against the law. The town authorities turn a blind eye to these infractions because the Ewells are at the bottom of the social hierarchy, and there is no lower stratum for them to drop to, making them impossible to shame. Additionally, the children may not eat if Bob Ewell is not allowed to hunt, and the town would gain nothing by fining or incarcerating him as he has no money.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Social status | Poorest in Maycomb |
| Social indifference | No shame, no money |
| Education | No parental insistence on education |
| Employment | No one in the family works |
| Alcoholism | Father is a drunk |
| Hunting | Hunting out of season |
| Income | Very small income |
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What You'll Learn
Bob Ewell is allowed to hunt out of season
In Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird", the Ewells are a poor, disreputable family in Maycomb, the poorest in the town, and are low on the social hierarchy. The Ewells are allowed to break the law by not sending their children to school and Bob Ewell, the father of the family, is permitted to hunt and trap out of season.
The Ewells are portrayed as dirty, disrespectful, and rude. They are dirty because Burris Ewell, Bob's son, has dirt layers on his skin and rarely washes up. They are also rude because Burris went to school on the first day with head lice, which was completely visible, and he was rude to his teacher. The Ewells are allowed to break the law because they are so low in society that there is no lower stratum to which they can drop. As a result, they cannot be shamed and legal measures against them are ineffective. For example, they cannot be fined because they have no money, and Bob Ewell cannot be imprisoned because he does not work and would lose nothing by being fed by the county.
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Ewell children don't attend school
In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the Ewells are a poor and disreputable family in Maycomb. The Ewell children, such as Burris Ewell, do not attend school regularly, only showing up on the first day of school each year. This truancy is against the law, as children are required to receive an education. However, the Ewells are allowed to break this law due to their social status and the community's indifference.
The Ewells are among the poorest in Maycomb and are low on the social hierarchy. They live in a way that is unimaginable to Scout, the narrator's daughter. Their father, Bob Ewell, is a drunk who spends any money he gets on alcohol instead of food for his children. As a result, the town authorities turn a blind eye to the children's truancy and allow Mr. Ewell to hunt out of season to provide food for his family.
The Ewells have no lower stratum of society to which they can drop, so they cannot be shamed. They also have neither shame nor money, so legal measures against them are ineffective. For example, the city would not profit from pursuing the matter of the Ewell children's truancy since the family has no money to pay any fines. Similarly, incarcerating Mr. Ewell would accomplish little, as he does not work and would lose nothing by being fed by the county for a while.
Atticus Finch, Scout's father, explains that special measures need to be taken to ensure the Ewell family's survival. He justifies the community's allowance of the Ewells' law-breaking by saying, "Sometimes it's better to bend the law a little in special cases. In your case, the law remains rigid. So to school, you must go."
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The Ewells are poor and disreputable
The Ewells are a poor, disreputable family in Maycomb, considered a disgrace to the town. They are dirty, rude, and engage in illegal activities. Their poverty and low social status mean that law enforcement turns a blind eye to their crimes.
The Ewells are one of the poorest families in Maycomb, living off welfare and struggling to survive during the Great Depression. They are described as living like "pigs," with the children suffering from head lice and dirt layers on their skin due to a lack of hygiene. The Ewells are also regarded as rude and unruly, with Burris Ewell, for example, exhibiting disrespectful behaviour at school.
The family engages in illegal activities such as hunting out of season and truancy. Bob Ewell, the father, hunts out of season to provide food for his children, as he spends any money he gets on alcohol. The town authorities allow this because they believe that the children would otherwise go hungry. Additionally, the Ewell children, including Burris, do not regularly attend school, which is against the law. However, the town does not pursue the matter because the Ewells have no money to pay any fines, and there is no parental insistence on education.
The Ewells are also characterised by their racism and resentment towards others. They live on the outskirts of Maycomb, and their anger is directed towards the Black community. Bob Ewell, in particular, is described as an "evil" character, using racist language and perpetuating racial profiling during the trial of Tom Robinson.
Overall, the Ewells' poverty, disreputable behaviour, and low social status allow them to break the law without facing consequences. Their actions are tolerated out of necessity and indifference, contributing to their ability to operate outside the bounds of the law.
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The community is indifferent to their law-breaking
In Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird", the Ewells are a poor, disreputable family in Maycomb, Alabama, who engage in several illegal activities that are not actively punished by law enforcement due to their social status and the community's indifference.
The Ewells are allowed to break the law because the community turns a blind eye to their actions. The Ewells are members of an exclusive society made up only of themselves, and the common folk allow them certain privileges by becoming blind to some of their activities. For example, the Ewell children do not attend school regularly, which is against the law. Burris Ewell, one of Bob Ewell's sons, only attends school on the first day of each year and then never returns. Despite this being illegal, the town authorities do not enforce the law because the Ewells have no money to pay any fines.
Additionally, Bob Ewell, the father of the family, breaks the law by hunting and trapping out of season. This is permitted because he spends all the money he gets on alcohol, and if he were not allowed to hunt, his children would get nothing to eat. The town authorities and the community are indifferent to this law-breaking because they understand that the children might not get any food otherwise.
The Ewells are also generally disliked and seen as a disgrace to Maycomb because of their dirty, disrespectful, and lawless behaviour. They are described as living like "pigs", with the children not attending school and the father, a drunk, spending any money they do earn on alcohol instead of food for his family. Despite this, the community does not actively intervene or enforce the law, allowing the Ewells to continue their illegal activities.
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The Ewells are allowed to break the law to survive
In Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird", the Ewells are a poor, disreputable family in Maycomb, Alabama, who engage in several illegal activities that are not actively punished by law enforcement due to their social status and the community's indifference. Bob Ewell, the father of the family, breaks the law by hunting out of season. This is permitted because Ewell spends all the money he gets on alcohol, and if he were not allowed to hunt, his children would get nothing to eat.
The Ewells are also allowed to violate the law by not sending their children to school regularly. Burris Ewell, one of Bob Ewell's sons, only attends school on the first day of each year and then never returns. This truancy is against the law, as children are required to receive an education. However, the Ewell children feel no need to attend school because there is no parental insistence on an education. It would not be profitable for the city to pursue the matter of the Ewells' truancy since the family has no money with which to pay any fines.
The Ewells are allowed to break these laws because they have neither shame nor money, and legal measures against them would be ineffective. Placing Bob Ewell in jail would accomplish little since he does not work, and he would lose nothing by being incarcerated and fed by the county. The Ewells live in a way that is unimaginable to most people, and so special measures need to be taken to ensure the family's survival.
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Frequently asked questions
The Ewells are a poor and disreputable family in Maycomb who engage in several illegal activities that are not actively punished by law enforcement due to their social status and the community's indifference.
The Ewells violate the law by not sending their children to school regularly. They are also allowed to hunt and trap out of season.
The Ewells are members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells. Common folk allow them certain privileges by becoming blind to some of their activities. They don't have to go to school because there is no parental insistence on an education.
Bob Ewell is permitted to hunt and trap out of season because he spends all the money he gets on alcohol. If he were not allowed to hunt, his children would get nothing to eat.
The Ewells are considered a disgrace to Maycomb as they do a lot of things that are not socially acceptable or are against the law. They are dirty, disrespectful, and rude.
