Antagonist

Bob Ewell

Ewell is nasty. He doesn’t have one redeeming characteristic. While Mayella is the one whose actions first get Tom into trouble, Ewell is the one who makes sure that that trouble snowballs into a court case, conviction, and execution. Even after the case is over, Ewell keeps going after Atticus, Judge Taylor, and Helen Robinson, and finally almost kills the Finch kids. Heck Tate probably wasn’t exaggerating when he said the ladies of Maycomb would bury Boo in cake for taking Ewell out: this guy is bad news without a glimmer of good.