Who is the protagonist and antagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The social expectations of Maycomb, Alabama are the antagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird. The community of Maycomb grows largely hostile to Atticus and his children because Atticus has chosen to behave outside the expectations of those around him to uphold the racist status quo. Even Tom Robinson’s guilty verdict and eventual death are the result of Mayella Ewell’s decision to act outside social expectations that she not become sexually involved with a black man. Mayella would rather wrongfully accuse an innocent man of rape than admit she made a sexual advance at someone outside her race. Scout runs into conflict over her father’s expectations regarding how she should behave as a daughter, her teacher’s expectations regarding how she should behave as a student, her aunt’s expectations regarding how she should behave as a girl, and Jem and Dill’s expectations regarding how she should behave as a friend.

Even though Maycomb serves in several ways as an antagonist to Scout, the town is not an entirely villainous entity. Certainly, there are villainous, even monstrous, aspects to the town, but Maycomb is also the tool by which Scout is able to learn about the realities of the world. In her interactions with Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, Calpurnia, and Walter Cunningham, among others, Scout learns to empathize with those around her, even when their behavior and motivation seems strange to her. In struggling against the expectations of the people in her community Scout learns to see other people’s perspectives. And in going through the experience of the trial, Tom Robinson’s unfair conviction, and eventual death, Scout witnesses firsthand the devastating effects of racism. Although the town of Maycomb attempts to thwart Atticus’s goal of raising his children free of prejudice, Atticus prevails, and teaches Scout and Jem to question social expectations they believe are unjust.

Scout is the most obvious choice of protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird. While her decisions do not directly incite the action of the trial, other choices she makes, such as to spy on Boo Radley, or to confront the men outside the jail, determine the course of the novel. Atticus also tells Uncle Jack that he is defending Tom Robinson because he wants to set a good example for Scout and Jem, so in a sense Scout is indirectly responsible for the action around the trial as well. Over the course of the novel, Scout matures from a child who judges people based on their status, such as unsophisticated Walter Cunningham or reclusive Boo Radley, to a more mature young woman who is able to see the individual inside each person. At the end of the novel, Scout has learned to see beyond her childish preconceptions about Boo Radley and thinks about the world from his perspective. In some ways, the very end of the novel is when Scout first steps into her own as a protagonist. Though Scout’s simplicity and goodness make her an appealing protagonist, her perception of racial issues remains simplistic and childish, which, while appropriate for the character, can be less than satisfying for the reader.

Another choice for protagonist is Atticus, whose decision to defend Tom Robinson incites the central action of the book and results in the death of two characters. Throughout the book, Atticus’s goal is to raise his children to judge people without prejudice in a town roiled by racism and intolerance. In pursuit of this goal he takes on a case he knows he’s going to lose, in hopes of setting a good example for his children. Thwarting Atticus in this goal is Bob Ewell and other racist members of the community, as well as the flawed justice system itself. As a character Atticus doesn’t change much over the course of the novel – he is an idealistic, determined, and wise father at the beginning of the novel, and ends with the same characteristics intact. However, Scout and Jem’s perception of Atticus changes over the novel, as they see aspects of their father they didn’t know about, such as the fact that he is an excellent marksman, or that he is sympathetic to their cruel and racist neighbor, Mrs. Dubose.

Harper Lee’s "To Kill a Mockingbird" presents a story of racism and narrow-mindedness in 1930s America. The characters in "To Kill a Mockingbird" form an integral part of its impact, including the antagonist, Bob Ewell. In literature, an antagonist is a character, force or concept that creates the conflict with which the main character must deal.

Bob Ewell

"To Kill a Mockingbird" has two main characters: the narrator Scout and her father Atticus, the local lawyer. As the antagonist, Bob Ewell maliciously blames Tom Robinson, a black man, for raping his daughter, which sets the stage for the primary conflict with Atticus, who represents Tom at his trial. Ewell attacks Scout and her brother with a knife toward the end of the story, making him an antagonist directly against Scout as well. In a larger context, Ewell represents the negative aspects of Southern society at the time. He beats his daughter, feels no compunction about falsely accusing Tom -- illustrating prejudice -- lashes out in violence when he feels he has been wronged, and demonstrates his low intelligence in the courtroom.

References

Writer Bio

Kristie Sweet has been writing professionally since 1982, most recently publishing for various websites on topics like health and wellness, and education. She holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of Northern Colorado.

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