Examples Of Blindness In To Kill A Mockingbird

Metaphorical blindness is found throughout the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee. The best example of this blindness is Bob Ewell. His ignorance and lack of experience has lead him to be blinded from the real world. He is unaware of his wrongdoings and is, perhaps, too ignorant to see through the darkness he has created. He is a racist man and believes that the whites are more noble and superior compared to the blacks; yet, Bob is the complete opposite of his own beliefs. He can be seen to be far more unfortunate than the blacks. Bob’s residence is located near the cabins of the blacks and it is filthy and unpleasant; ironically, he lives right behind Maycomb’s garbage dump:

“The cabin’s plank walls were supplemented with sheets of corrugated iron, its roof shingled with tin cans hammered flat, so only its general shape suggested its original design: square, with four tiny rooms opening onto a shotgun hall, the

Also, Bob demonstrates metaphorical blindness through his children. He starves them and spends his welfare checks, that are supposed to be used on his children, on whiskey. If it was not bad enough, typically he is drunk, he is not concerned when it comes to his children and he sexually abuses his daughters. Overall, Bob is far from being a good role model for his children. The children adapt to the lazy characteristics of their father and they do not seem to have any regrets of not attending school: “They [the Ewells] come first day every year then leave … You’re supposed to mark ‘em absent the rest of the year” (Lee 27). Sooner or later, his children will be greatly affected in negative ways because of his ignorance of not being able to see that his actions will not only cause serious harm to himself, but to his children and their future as