- One error that occurred even before Scout and Jem began walking to the Halloween pageant was forgetting to bring a flashlight. Scout tells Jem, while the two are having trouble making there way in the dark, "You should have brought the flashlight, Jem" (342). If they had brought the flashlight they would been able to see the attack more clearly and furthermore, run in time before drunken Bob Ewell could have attacked Jem.
- Another mistake that occurred was rejecting a ride from someone who attended the performance. "'You all want a ride home?' someone asked," (347). In declining the invitation they walked home, giving Bob Ewell the opportunity to injure Scout and Jem.
- Yet another error Scout made was wearing the costume back home, even when Jem offered to help her take it off. She refused saying, "Naw, I'll just keep it on,"(347). Because she had not take off the costume "[she] could not keep [her] balance," and fell, giving Bob Ewell the advantage of the situation (351).
Some questions that arise are what are some more mistakes that the Finch children made on their journey from the High School auditorium? How did the mistakes add to the progress of the story? What did Bob Ewell's death symbolize in the story?
The mistakes added to the progress of the story by foreshadowing Bob Ewell’s upcoming attack of the Finch children and the lessons they learned from the consequences. It was a perfect attack: the ominous, pitch black, darkness of the setting, especially without a flashlight; Scout pinioned in her costume; and only the two Finch children alone in the field as they had waited until everyone else had left the Halloween pageant and they had declined a ride home. The children failed to realize that the field might not be safe, the way they always thought of Maycomb as safe or their route home from school as safe. This suggests that they are still learning about the injustices in Maycomb and in the world.
ReplyDeleteI think Bob Ewell’s death, and the actions that lead up to it, are symbolic of the despondency and desperateness that his inheritance and isolation brought upon him. Bob Ewell did not have a reason to live after the Tom Robinson trial had brought him little glory and no respect. He could not secure a job, his wife had passed away, his living conditions were terrible, he could not take care of his family, he was dependent on alcohol, he had no respect from other people, and as these problems fed of each other and grew they became impossible to assuage. Bob Ewell grew up as an Ewell, and in Maycomb that meant he was confined to the unpleasant life he inherited. Maycomb merely isolated the family and gave the Ewell’s enough money so they could continue their ways and survive. His one chance at something better was in the courtroom. In a courtroom, as Atticus said, all men are (should be) equal. When Bob Ewell accused a black man of raping a white woman, it seemed all of Maycomb would finally listen to him. If all went well, Maycomb would rally behind him and he could step out of the dump he was trapped in and be accepted by people. Maybe he could even be a hero. But, as Atticus revealed the monstrosities that really took place at the Ewells, the only thing that drove Tom Robinson to execution was racism. Atticus had killed Bob Ewell’s last hope.
ReplyDeleteBob Ewell was not even strong enough to do anything more than threaten Atticus. He failed in stealing from the judge of the trial, hurting Tom Robinson’s wife, and his last forlorn actions were attacking Atticus’ children and killing himself. In Maycomb, this is not surprising. He was an Ewell just like Tom Robinson was black. He was segregated from the town and he was limited to one way of life. Just like Tom Robinson he was “ licked” from the beginning and both men died framed by the ugly image Maycomb had labeled them with.
I don't think that Scout leaving the ham costume on was a mistake, because Heck Tate said that it saved her life. Yes, it slowed her down but it acted as a buffer to the attacks. The mistakes that were made though, added suspense and foreshadowed the attack. Although this added suspense, the fight lacked some mystery because Harper Lee does such a great job characterizing everybody in the book that for better or worse, I knew who was the attacker and who saved them while the fight was happening.
ReplyDeleteWho do you think killed Bob Ewell? Jem or Boo? Or was it suicide?
I agree with Emily, wearing the costume wasn't one of the mistakes that Jem and Scout had made, I think that it was one of the few fortunate accidents that had occurred that night in Chapter 28 when Bob Ewell had attacked them. If Scout had not kept on her costume then she would've probably been seriously injured or killed (even though the narration of the book would not be possible in Scout's point of view). I do not think that Jem was the one who took Bob Ewell's knife out of his strong hands and thrust it into his ribs. I think that it was either Arthur Radley or Bob himself. I feel that either Arthur had knocked over Bob taken his knife and stabbed him when he got back up, or Bob had fallen onto it when he was knocked over, without the option of escape or suicide. Bob Ewell, I feel, is not smart enough or well put together to consider suicide when his plan had either worked or failed. His character mostly just thinks of himself and his Whiskey. He would have just been focused on his one main priority that he set out to accomplish since the trials, and that was the get Atticus back one way or another. With all his back round, what he could and would do was unmeasurable, but with the attack during the pitch-black night I think that his own death was an accident that had not occurred to him during the planning of his revenge.
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