Examples Of Poetic Justice In To Kill A Mockingbird

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a story from a girl's perspective of the Great Depression era. Bob Ewell was the main antagonist of this novel. He was a light-colored man and most light skinned people during this era were unfair to dark-colored people. Bob was a particular light-colored person that accused a dark-colored man, Tom Robinson, of raping his daughter: Mayella Ewell. Bob Ewell harassed the Finches, which was the family that defended Tom Robinson, as well as dark-colored people because he was a racist. Bob also abused his own eight children. At the end of the story, Bob Ewell was killed by a mysterious person and this could be seen of a "poetic justice." What is the definition of poetic justice? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, poetic justice means "a result or occurrence that seems proper because someone who has done bad things to other people is being harmed or punished". This
He shows this when he says, "you nigger-lovin bastard" (Lee 217). He wanted to fight Atticus and he harassed him. Bob Ewell was one of the big reasons why Tom Robinson died. This is shown on page 227 in To Kill a Mockingbird when the text says, "They shot him. He was running...broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over." Bob Ewell then proceeded to lie about his actions during court and he told Mayella to lie as well or else he would beat her. This led to the guilty charge of Tom Robinson and after that, his death. Bob is basically an indirect murderer, since he lied, and this got Tom Robinson killed. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." (Christian Standard Bible). This means one gets what one gives. Bob Ewell caused the death of Tom Robinson, therefore, he received death, shown when “Bob Ewell's lyin' on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck up his ribs." (Lee 266) That was the end of Bob by poetic