Adolf Ewell

The way Adolf Hitler is described in the book To Kill A Mockingbird shows a resemblance in character between him and Bob Ewell. Both have an extreme excess of anger toward society, which they need to take out on somebody or something. Instead of choosing to control this anger, both men let their emotions completely take them over. They choose a large group of innocent people to exclude from society and persecute in order to cover up their own insecurities about being awkward and unaccepted in their communities. One "maniac" in a community, one person who cannot control his reactions to his own emotions, can bring out the maniac in many others, forming a cult (Lee 329). This cult then uses the power of group psychology to oppress another group of people who are different than them, and who they see as an easy target. Many of the people within the community that do not agree with what is being done are then usually outnumbered, and are socially forced to go along with the actions that are being taken. In the case of Adolf Hitler, the people being persecuted are Jews. In the case of Bob Ewell, it is the black community of Maycomb, as well as his many children. All of these groups had never done anything to harm their oppressors, but were the unfortunate victims of uncontrolled anger taken out on the wrong people. Both Bob Ewell and Adolf Hitler let their feelings of rage towards society drive them to the destruction of other innocent people.

-Jackie