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Savannah Foster

Mr. Goldman

English 10B

30 January 2017

To Kill a Negro

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee represents the themes of good and evil

through the interactions of how Atticus Finch triumphs ethically over the manipulative nature of

Bob Ewell in an attempt to restore justice to the Maycomb legal system. A “good” person is

someone who always makes the ethical choice, no matter how challenging. In contrast, an “evil”

person doesn’t care about right or wrong, all they think about is themself. Atticus is the perfect

example of good, being a morally upstanding man. He puts aside his own desires numerous

times, even going against societal norms to help an innocent negro. Ewell is manipulative and

selfish, clearly evil. He doesn’t care that an innocent man will suffer, he just wants to save his

equally manipulative daughter. This battle of right and wrong appears many times throughout the

novel.

Throughout the novel, Atticus remains morally and ethically sound. He is a constant

support of reassurance and wisdom for his children and those around him. This would, of course,

classify him as “good”. At the end of the trial, Atticus, as a defense attorney, must give a closing

statement. “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as

black and white. [...] The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is. I have

nothing but pity in my heart for the chief witness for the state, but my pity does not extend so far
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as to her putting a man’s life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt.

[...] She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her: she is white. [...] She

must destroy the evidence of her offense. What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson,

a human being.” (Lee, p. 273) While Atticus’s closing statement is extensive, it truly shows what

kind of character he is. Earlier in the novel, he tells Scout that she should try thinking of the

other person’s perspective before judging them. Atticus shows this in his speech. Though we all

know how manipulative Mayella and her father are, Atticus still attempts to empathize with her,

even saying he has “nothing but pity in my heart”. He also shows this later in the novel, when

Bob Ewell spits in his face and Atticus refuses to retaliate. Atticus knows that he has hurt Ewell’s

pride by “embarrassing” him in court, and that Ewell’s pride is basically all he has. Along with

empathizing with the Ewell’s, his lawyer side shows during the closing statement. When Atticus

says “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black

and white.”, he is showing the jury how ridiculous the whole trial is. There is no evidence that

Mayella was raped, and no evidence that Tom Robinson harmed her in any way. He also shows

that even though “she is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance”, she still has privilege in

society because “she is white.” In the end, it was a battle of race, a battle where blacks are almost

always on the losing side. Atticus knew this, yet he still defended Tom Robinson to the best of

his abilities. Why? Because if he hadn’t, Atticus would be going against his own set of morals

and ethics. He wouldn’t be able to look at himself in the mirror, much less face his own children.

This shows that Atticus Finch will always put others before himself, and always be “good”.

Bob Ewell is many things. A racist, a slob, a drunk. But most of all, he is selfish. This

would classify him as “evil”. When Ewell is testifying, his story has obvious holes in it, from not
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running for a doctor to the state of the room. He covers this up by riling up the court with racist

slurs and excessive details. “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella! [...] I knowed

who it was, all right, lived down yonder in that nigger-nest, passed the house every day. Jedge,

I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to

live around ‘sides devaluin’ my property—” (Lee p. 231) Similar to Atticus, we can tell who Bob

Ewell is from this quote. If Atticus is ethics and morality, Ewell is the exact opposite. He

represents everything negative associated with the South. Poverty, ignorance, and racial fueled

prejudice. This is especially shown during the trial. Every time he references Tom Robinson,

Ewell makes sure to point out his skin color, showing that he doesn't see Tom as a human, but

rather as just a “black nigger”. He also has a frankly disgusting incestual relationship with his

daughter, referring to her possessively as “my Mayella”. Instead of telling the truth in court, he

uses unnecessary detail in his testimony “Jedge, I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean

out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to live around ‘sides devaluin’ my property—”, to

get a rise out of the spectators. This is typical of an evil person like him. He attempts to distract

everyone and save his own hide instead of owning up to his actions.

In conclusion, good versus evil is a recurring theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus

Finch is ethically and morally sound, always putting others before himself without a second

thought. Bob Ewell’s main concern is saving his own hide, without any regards for others. To

Kill a Mockingbird ends with both Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson dead. I think the message is

that somehow, good always triumphs over evil. Ewell did a horrible thing putting Tom in prison,

and he got what he deserves. Although the ending was bittersweet, I believe it gives you a sense

of closure and finality.

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