“To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee is a novel set in the prejudice American town of Maycomb in the 1930’s. I feel she portrays the theme of prejudice extremely evidently in the characters of Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson.

The story is written from the perspective of a girl named Scout who writes about the events that happen in Maycomb in this period of time. One of the things that happen is that Tom Robinson, a black man, is tried and accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob, a local layabout and drunk, even thought it is much more likely that Bob caused her injuries.

Tom would appear to be a much more honourable man than Bob. One of the main differences between them is their local reputation. This quote is regarding Tom and his family. “They’re clean living folks.” This suggests that they try to stay out of trouble and try to live as best they can. On the other hand, Bob Ewell and his family don’t have such a good reputation. “The Ewell’s have been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations.” This quote tells us that many people aren’t proud of having the Ewell as residents.

A second significant difference between the characters in question would be their home life. A general quote of Tom’s home life would be. “In the December dusk, their cabins looked neat & snug... doorways glowing from fires inside.” However the Ewell residence doesn’t sound quite as charming. “It’s windows... in the summer were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out the varmints.” These quotes tell us it would be more pleasant to stay in the Robinson house rather than in the Ewells.

A third example of comparison between Bob and Tom could be their work. A typical quote of Tom’s would be during the court-case when Mr Link Deas announces, “That boy’s worked 8 years for me and I’ve never had a speck of trouble outta him.” This quote gives an idea of how hardworking Tom is. This next quote on the Ewells describes the laziness of the family. “The Ewells...none of em had done an honest days work.” This gives an idea of just how lethargic this family is.

I would consider the personalities of these two men as a huge contrast. For example, “Toms manners were as good as Atticuss, he would not have dared strike a white woman.” Whereas, Bobs personality is clearly described as the opposite in the following quote, “Low down skunk with enough liquor in him to make him brave enough to kill children.” This suggests how different these two men really are.

Despite the fact that Tom has a much better local reputation than Bob, the end result of the court case was inevitable. Tom was never going to win and his being black was the answer why.

In conclusion, “To Kill A Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee, is a moving, well-inspired novel. The characters are all well structured and the theme of prejudice is well portrayed through the very different characters of black man, Tom Robinson and white man Bob Ewell.