Wow! Do you ever have a tough assignment! Bob Ewell is
actually the antithesis of the mockingbird. Mockingbirds are described as doing just one
thing, according to Miss Maudie:
... make music for us to enjoy... (and) sing
their hearts out for us."
In
fact, he is more like the would-be killer of mockingbirds that Atticus warns Jem
about.
"...
remember, it's a sin to kill a
mockingbird."
Bob attempted
to harm or kill Jem and Scout--the youthful human mockingbirds of the story--before the
intervention of Boo Radley. Bob much more closely fits the subject of the newspaper
editorial of B. B. Underwood, who compared Tom Robinson's death to the "senseless
slaughter of songbirds."
With that said, you might be able
to argue that Bob inherited his bad ways from his father. (Remember, Atticus once said
that the Ewells had been the "disgrace of Maycomb for three generations.") Bob had
little chance to improve his own life, or his family's, since he probably lived under
similar conditions himself as a boy. In much the same way that Tom was born black, with
no chance for an improved life in segregationist Alabama, Bob was born a Ewell--a
disgrace to the town. He, also, had little chance to improve his family's conditions due
to his inherited family ties. He had few or no friends--even the Cunningham clan had
nothing to do with him--and his lack of education prevented him from getting a good job.
I suppose you could also argue that several of the crimes of which Bob is accused--such
as beating Mayella and lurking around Judge Taylor's house--were only hearsay. This
argument is similar to the unproved accusations against Boo, who was thought to kill
animals, poison pecans and peep in windows--all without basis in
fact.
You have a real chore in proving Bob a mockingbird,
but if you are successful, you should definitely consider a future career in debate or
law school. Good luck!
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