In order to establish verisimilitude in their narratives,
writers employ foreshadowing of later events. In this way, the reader is not surprised
when the latter events occurs and the point of this event is, therefore, strengthened in
its believablity.
After the trial of Tom Robinson in Harper
Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird in which Atticus Finch has made the
jurors and audience in the courtroom acutely aware of the duplicitousness of Mayella
Ewell and the malevolent and inferior character of Tom Ewell, the craven Ewell vows
revenge against Atticus for exposing his ignorance and baseness as a liar. One day
outside the post office, Bob Ewell spits in the face of Atticus Finch, declaring that
"he'd get him if it took the rest of his life."
This
incident is the cause of much town gossip; nevertheless, Atticus does not dignify
Ewell's insult by fearing the man. Also, not wishing the children to become alarmed, he
assures them that Bob Ewell will never do any harm to
them:
You
know he wouldn't carry a gun, Scout. He ain't even got one--" said
Jem."When a man says he's gonna get you, looks like he
means it." [Scout says]"He meant it when he said it," said
Atticus. "...I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to
begin with. The man had to have some kind of comback, his kind always does. So if
spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's
something I'll gladly take....You
understand?"
Unfortunately,
Atticus credits Bob Ewell with some decency which he does not
possess.
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