To Kill a Mockingbird is many things: to name a few, it's a commentary on racism, class and mob mentality. In this brilliant novel, there are many well-defined characters whose events in the fictional Maycomb County help drive the story forward. One of the most interesting characters, in my opinion, is Bob Ewell. At first he struck me as the stereotypical antagonist. He is racist, rude, abusive and an alcoholic. Even his description of being dirty and cruel fits the antagonistic idea perfectly. The antagonists in some stories seem to be slapped around, made to feel bad just for the sake of being bad, and Bob Ewell seems to be no exception. However, once the reader examines his traits using modern psychology, they will realize that there may be more to him than was initially obvious. When you look at his actions and his character in general, you begin to realize that almost all of Bob Ewell's traits could be symptoms of alcoholism. What if killing Mockingbird's biggest villain was a commentary on alcoholism? What if Bob Ewell's downfall was just one example of the downfall of many people living with alcoholism? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay It is well established throughout the story that Bob Ewell is an alcoholic. An example of this is during the trial in chapter 18, when Atticus asks Mayella questions. When Atticus asks Mayella if she loves her father, she replies that he is tolerable. "'Except when he drinks?' " asked Atticus so quietly that Mayella nodded" (Lee, 245). Mayella probably didn't divulge this information willingly because her father was sitting a few feet away at the time, but Atticus puts her at ease to tell the truth. Another example of Mr. Ewell being an alcoholic is found earlier in the book, when Atticus is talking to Scout about the Ewells. During this scene he says, "...but when a man (Bob Ewell) spends his relief checks on green whiskey, his children have a way of crying because of hunger pangs" (Lee, 41). This is further evidence that shows us that Bob Ewell is an alcoholic who would rather spend the limited amount of money his family has on alcohol, rather than on the food his family will need to survive. Only someone addicted to alcohol would put whiskey before food. According to the American Addiction Center, this is a telltale sign of addiction. In their article on the signs of addiction, they list “Spending excessive amounts on this substance” as one of the signs of addiction (American Addiction Centers, 1). Soon, alcohol begins to completely take over Ewell's life. Chapter 27 is where Ewell began the transition from a crude racist to a potential killer. An excerpt from page 332 of To Kill a Mockingbird shows how this might have started. In this scene, "Mr. Bob Ewell gained and lost a job in a matter of days" (Lee, 332). In the same section, Scout remarks that "he was the only man I ever heard of who was kicked out of the WPA for laziness" (Lee, 332). According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, one possible symptom of workplace addiction is when an individual is “removed from responsibility.” and they “suffer a loss of interest.” (IIAR, 1). Although this may be considered "laziness", job performance is actually described as "well below the expected level" (IIAR, 1), especially in the later stages of alcoholism. Another example of alcohol addiction that takes,.