To Kill a Mockingbird
what do we learn indirectly of the home life of the ewell family in this chapter
chapter 17
chapter 17
We learn a lot of disturbing things about the Ewell home. There is not enough food and Mayella is stuck taking care of the children. There are way too many children for them to belong to the late Mrs. Ewell. The logical connection is disturbingly obvious: Mr. Ewlell has been raping his daughter Mayella. Mayella spends her days in abject poverty and isolation. Mr. Ewell is usually getting drunk somewhere. In desperation, she uses the kindly Tom Robinson to appease her loneliness.