In chapter 13 we learned from Stephanie Crawford that Atticus was confronted by Bob Ewell in these lines "I wish Bob Ewell didn't chew tobacco, was all Atticus had to say about it. According to Miss Crawford, however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him." Atticus did not act angry or surprised at all. He kept cool and acted like the situation was all under control. I was not surprised at all on how Atticus handled this situation. Atticus isn't the type of person to get angry at this type of stuff. When Jem asks Atticus if he was angry, Atticus just told Jem to step inside of Mr. Ewell's shoes and said "Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes for a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at the trial, if he had any to begin with." Atticus has empathy for Mr. Ewell because he knew that he must have been offended by the trial.
Atticus does the right thing in not getting angry at Mr. Ewell, because he did step into his shoes and felt what it must feel like to lose all of your credibility. By doing this Harper Lee is creating Atticus's charecter by making him even more perfect. Atticus is also teaching an important lesson to mainly Jem. He is teaching Jem that sometimes it does not matter what other people think as long as you are doing what you feel is right. He is also teaching both Jem, and Scout to have more empathy for people who may not like you, or even disagree with you.
Do you think Atticus made a good decision to not get mad at Bob Ewell? What other lessons do you think Atticus may be showing Scout and Jem. Why do you think that Atticus even has empathy for this type of people?
Yes, I think that Atticus made the right decision not getting mad at Bob Ewell. I think that Harper Lee put this in the book because he is not being hypocritical. Early in the book, when he told Scout not to fight back when people called her names because Atticus was defending Tom Robinson. He was following the same code that he set for his children, therefor he didn't fight back when Bob Ewell spit on him.
ReplyDeleteI think that Atticus has empathy for these people because they didn't do anything wrong. They were just born into a "Ewell", or a "Cunningham".What Harper Lee is trying to show the reader is that you don't have to be what your past mends you to be. However in Maycomb that is almost impossible because everyone knows you for your past. Since many people have a long line of ancestry that lived in Maycomb, people that are know for their last names would have to leave Maycomb to start a new life.
Will Atticus in always feel empathy for such people as the Ewells? How will Boo Radley come back into the picture?
I think Atticus made a good decision to not become angry at Bob Ewell, because he took a moment to think about what Mr. Ewell might have been feeling. If Atticus had gotten angry at Mr. Ewell, it might motivate him to actually carry out with his threat. Atticus not getting angry at Mr. Ewell, shows Jem that sometimes when a person is feeling like they may have been almost disobeyed it's important to step into their position. In Mr. Ewell's case, he feels that Atticus has disobeyed him because he argued against a white man to defend a black man. This infuriates Mr. Ewell so much he threatens to "get him if it took the rest of his life." (p. 290) Atticus has empathy for people like Bob Ewell because he always tries on their life before judging them. He takes a moment to feel how rich or poor, or un-fairly treated they are, and then goes on from there. Atticus has empathy for everyone because he understands that no one is perfect, and everyone has flaws and makes mistakes.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Bob Ewell was serious with his threats? Do you think Atticus will let it bother him, or let it go?
I think it is a good decision to not get mad at Bob Ewell, but I wouldn't forgive him. The reason I wouldn't forgive him is: Bob and Mayella framed Tom Robinson.
ReplyDeleteI am sure there will be many more lessons taught by Atticus in the novel, but I can't guess for sure. I think that empathy will come back again and Scout will earn a better understanding of it, because empathy has been a theme it the novel. Empathy was not shown in the case because the jury only stepped into Mayella's shoes and not Tom Robinson's.
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Do you think empathy has been the theme of the novel so far? Where else can you find an example? Do you think the governor will have empathy for Tom Robinson commute/substitut his sentence?
I think it was a very good decision to not get mad at Mr. Ewell. If Atticus got mad and maybe yelled back, it would have made the situation much worse than it should be. Also, if Atticus made it into something physical, other people could have gotten mixed up in it and gotten hurt. But, he kept his cool and when Mr. Ewell challenged him to a fight Atticus said no. When Mr. Ewell asked if he was too afraid, Atticus simply said “No, just too old.” Atticus’ response to Mr. Ewell’s challenge and his teasing shows that Atticus sees the big picture and thinks things through rather than giving in to spur of the moment anger no matter who the person is, even the “trash” of Maycomb. In conclusion, I feel that it was very smart and responsible of Atticus that he did not get mad at Mr. Bob Ewell.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your statement, Empathy was not shown in the case because the jury only stepped into Mayella's shoes and not Tom Robinson's." The issue is the racism and the stereo types. The jury does have empathy for Tom Robinson, but they used their beliefs to decide what they think he would have done. They thought he is black so he probably just wanted to take advantage of Mayella. If he was white they would have assumed that Mayella was Attracted to him and there would be no violation of "the code." I would forgive him because of "the code." His daughter had just broke the code and he already was so disadvantaged that he couldn't stand losin his last bit of integrity.
ReplyDeleteHow has the code effected Scout's growing up? How has the code effected Jem?
In these chapters, Harper Lee tries to further portray Atticus as a man who has a wise, outside understanding of goodness and evilness within people. When Atticus reassures Scout and Jem that Bob Ewell will not actually follow through with his threat, he advises Jem to stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes and think for a moment how you would feel if someone “destroyed the last shred of credibility you had” (Pg. 218). This mirrors the advice he gives Scout in the earlier chapters and Lee once again brings up one of the most significant messages in this novel- to look further into a person’s soul and to not judge someone before knowing their situation.
ReplyDeleteAtticus seems to be the one who has hope for the town; he looks beyond people’s flaws and holds onto his positive views on the world. Unlike Jem’s immediate change in opinion on Maycomb after the trial, stating that “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like “(Pg. 219), Atticus sees it differently. Atticus believes that even in an impossible situation that is eventually unsuccessful, just trying and not giving up shows a sense of progress and a “baby step” forward. He also understands and shows empathy even towards the opposing side. On page 218, Atticus explains to Jem that Mr. Ewell spitting and threatening him was some kind of comeback, and if it saves Mayella from one extra beating, he will gladly take it. He knows what Bob is doing is wrong, but he shows sympathy by just understanding what he’s going through.
Do you think Atticus is introducing the evil sides of the adult world to Jem and Scout at too young of an age? Were you ever in a situation where someone was treating you unfairly, but you thought for a second on the reasons for that person’s actions, and made the right decision at the end? In what situations is letting go rather than fighting back a better thing to do? Do you think Atticus made the right decision?