How many kids do the ewells have

Later on in the story, involving the trial, Tom Robinson testified he had helped her with small chores at her request. The last time he did, she reached up to kiss Tom without his consent.

Unfortunately, her father witnessed this through the window. Bob called In the sheriff and Tom was accused of raping and beating Mayella. The sheriff testified at Tom's trial that when he arrived at the Ewell's shack, Mayella showed signs of having been beaten.

Despite all of the signs showing that the father, Bob Ewell, beaten Mayella, Tom Robinson is still found guilty. Some people said six, others said nine; there were always several dirty-faced ones at the windows when anyone passed by.

It seemed that Atticus threatened us every other day. Tom Robinson confirmed this number when he took the stand in Chapter But in accusing Tom Robinson, he sees what he believes is a brass ring. In his mind, the town should think him a hero for saving Maycomb's white women from a "dangerous" black man.

Defending his daughter by going to court should raise his family's stature. If they don't gain more respect from the community, at least Bob won't have to live with talk in the black community about a white woman making a play for a married black man. Unfortunately, all of Ewell's plans backfire. By the end of the trial, he and his daughter are proven liars, he's been publicly identified as a sexually and physically abusive father who fails to provide for his family, and the entire town knows that Mayella made sexual overtures toward Tom.

Instead of improving his life, Ewell cements his family's horrible reputation once and for all. In this situation, Bob Ewell can do little but try to recover his own pride. He makes good on his threats to harm the people who embarrassed him in court.

Aunt Alexandra is especially concerned with family heritage. She believes an individual is only as good as their ancestors were and this allows very little scope for anyone to change and grow or to be themselves. Scout as narrator. Many residents of Maycomb never leave the town, instead they stay close to other family members. In this way, attitudes fail to broaden and generation after generation remains as prejudiced and bigoted as their ancestors.

Many of the white residents of Maycomb believe that their black neighbours are ignorant and uncaring. However, Harper Lee reveals how incorrect they are when she shows how the local black families contribute as much money as they can to a fund to help Helen Robinson feed her family when Tom is in jail. Reverend Sykes to the black people in his church. The fact that the members of the church are willing to keep giving and giving until an adequate amount of money has been raised, is indicative of just how generous they are.

Harper Lee wants the reader to understand that the black people living in the community were respectful and honest people. How does Harper Lee use the theme of family in her novel? To show that the Finch family is a good example of family life.