with Bob Ewell. Atticus is honorable in all his intentions. Bob Ewell is a lying coward who blames his own violent behavior toward his daughter Mayella on an innocent man named Tom Robinson.   

Truly, Atticus responds to Bob Ewell's threats with grace and dignity:

Once again the Ewells prove how dangerous ignorance can be. Their prejudice is sweeping, they “hate and despise the colored folk.” And now they feel the same about Atticus for making them appear foolish. Bob Ewell responds by making crude and raving threats to Atticus, which Atticus receives with his usual grace and gentility.

Again, this proves that Atticus has respect and character while Bob Ewell is disgusting and even dangerous in his ignorance. 

Whereas Atticus Finch is a scrupulous, loving, and gentle man who takes an active part in his children's upbringing, Bob Ewell is a dissipated reprobate whose conduct is reprehensible and even criminal; he is a neglectful, irresponsible parent who is even abusive physically and sexually toward his daughter Mayella, whom he intimidates into perjuring herself so that Tom Robinson will take the blame for Mayella's indiscretions.

Uneducated and absent from the home, Bob Ewell never contributes to the upbringing of his children; he spends his government check on liquor, and his children go hungry and unkempt.  Certainly, he sets a poor example as he provides his children with no love or attention.  On the other hand, Atticus dines every night with his family and sits and reads with Jem and Scout as they peruse the Mobile Register.  When Scout comes home from her first day at school, Atticus counsels her that it is necessary to "get along with others."  Further, he instructs her to "climb into his skin and walk around in it" in order to understand a person.  In contrast, Bob Ewell acts upon that which will be advantageous to him, and Tom Robinson becomes the sacrificial victim to Ewell's efforts to "save face."  When Bob Ewell is embarrassed in the courtroom by Atticus Finch, he vengefully spits in Atticus's face the next day after the trial as they are outside the courthouse.  Atticus calmly wipes the spittle away and says nothing, displaying control and gentleman-like behavior.

While Bob Ewell hides behind his color in order to feel superior to others, Atticus Finch is ready to have Jem suffer the consequences of having stabbed Bob Ewell.  His integrity is evinced many times in the novel--when he faces the mob outside the jail, when he defends Calpurnia to his sister, Alexandra, and when he walks away from Bob Ewell, ignoring his intended insult.  And, it is this integrity which he imparts to Scout, who has learned to perceive things from the Radley porch and understand.

Two very different men, Bob Ewell is uneducated, self-serving, immoral, indigent, physically and sexually abusive, neglectful,irresponsible, and disrespectful; he is a terrible father.  On the other hand, Atticus is a tender and loyal father, whose children repay him with equal fortitude and loyalty as they come to his aid before the jailhouse and in their front yard.  He teaches his children to judge each person as an individual, and he imparts to them the real meaning of family.  He insists that his children be respectful of others such as the dying Mrs. Dubose, and he tells them that blacks will not forget the injustice done to them. He disciplines his children without striking them, and he assists them in their growth as members of Maycomb's society.  Above all, he leads his children to the deeper significance of his phrase that "to kill a mockingbird is a sin."

Bob Ewell is Atticus Finch's foil in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and the two characters are complete opposites. Atticus Finch is portrayed as a morally upright, educated lawyer, who raises his children to be tolerant, respectable citizens. Atticus is the epitome of a gentleman, who is polite, humble, and sympathetic. Atticus goes out his way to protect innocent, defenseless people like Tom Robinson and takes the time to teach his children valuable life lessons. Atticus is also a courageous individual, who valiantly protects Tom Robinson outside of the Maycomb jailhouse and defends him in front of a racist jury. Atticus also hails from a respected family and is revered by his community members, who elect him to represent Maycomb in the state legislature.

Bob Ewell is the complete opposite of Atticus and has a terrible reputation throughout Maycomb. Bob Ewell is an uneducated alcoholic, who abuses his children and is known throughout the county as a vile, despicable man. He does not teach his children valuable life lessons and abandons them to drink for days at a time while Mayella watches over her siblings. Bob cannot keep a steady job, does not value education, and is a rude individual. Bob is also an overt racist, who falsely accuses Tom Robinson of assaulting and raping his daughter. Unlike Atticus, who protects vulnerable, innocent people, Bob Ewell harms them. He is also a coward, who threatens Atticus and attempts to murder Jem and Scout.

The only things that Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell have in common are the fact that they are both fathers, reside in Maycomb County, and are involved in the Tom Robinson trial.

Atticus Finch's parenting style reflects his character, which is honest, trustworthy, and of the highest character and integrity.  As Miss Maudie tells Scout, "Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets,"  meaning he doesn't ever do or say anything he wouldn't stand up to in front of anyone.   When Atticus is talking to Scout about why he felt he must defend Tom Robinson, he tells her he couldn't live with himself if he didn't, that it was a matter of conscience, and that if he didn't defend Robinson, he more or less couldn't make Jem and Scout mind him again.  At the novel's end, before Atticus realizes that it was Boo Radley that killed Ewell, he thought it was Jem and was determined that it would not be a cover-up. 

Bob Ewell is an alcoholic, abusive "father" who drinks away the family's wages, hunts when its illegal to do so, does not require his children to go to school, beats up Mayella when he sees her with Tom Robinson, and it is implied that he sexually abuses her as well.  The kids live at the edge of the garbage dump in a house that barely stands with a tin roof and the only time Maycomb acknowledges the family is when a Christmas basket is delivered. 

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, comparing Atticus Finch to Bob Ewell is like comparing God to the devil. No two characters that I can think of are so diametrically opposed.

Atticus is a man of integrity. His moral compass not only guides his actions, including his respect for the dignity of others, but it keeps him grounded as he tries to guide his children in a sometimes-ugly, and often changing world. Atticus is humble and respectful of everyone, even Bob Ewell. He refrains from speaking badly of anyone, and he believes that people should assume responsibility to help the world, as well responsibility for their actions. Atticus tells the children that before they judge, they need to walk around in someone else's skin for a while; in this way they better understand others and themselves. Atticus is very concerned that his children will always be able look to him for guidance and with respect—something he expects he must earn. He believes, too, in protecting the weak: the mockingbirds—which include Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.

Bob Ewell, on the other hand, is a poor excuse for a human being. He does not care for his children: he is abusive and sees to his need for alcohol before his children's need for food or clothing. He is vulgar and crass, as we see in the courtroom. He is a liar and a bigot, with no respect for the truth or for other people. He does not work, but the money he gets on "assistance" he drinks away. He is not interested in setting an example for his children, as we see with Burris Ewell when Scout starts school. Bob is a bully and would-be murderer.

Sheriff Tate shares his opinion of Bob Ewell with Atticus stating that there are some people that should just be shot and done with it, and one of those people is Bob Ewell.

No two parenting styles could be more different than those of Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell. The only similarities whatsoever are that both Bob and Atticus are single parents: Both of their wives have died and left them to take care of the children; and Atticus and Bob have both found replacements--Calpurnia in the Finch household, and Bob's eldest daughter Mayella in the Ewell home. Mayella does her best to take care of the seven other Ewell children, but she gets little help from her drunken father, who is known to drink up the family welfare check and leave the kids for days at a time. The Ewells live in a run-down house adjacent to the town dump where the children spend most of their time.

     The varmints had a lean time of it, for the Ewells gave the dump a thorough gleaning every day...  (Chapter 17)

None of the children attend school regularly; Bob sees that they go to school on the first day each year so they have no trouble from the local truant officer. The children are always dirty--young Burris is      "the filthiest human I had ever seen," according to Scout--and they rarely bathe in a house that has no running water. Bob spends much of his time prowling about town or hunting out-of-season in the nearby swamps when he is not regularly beating Mayella. As the family is "the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations," Bob's children are bound to carry on the family tradition after he is gone.

Atticus, meanwhile, spends as much time with Jem and Scout as his free time allows. A lawyer and state legislator, Atticus is often away from home, but he has the faithful housekeeper Calpurnia to look after the childen when he is gone. Although Atticus is far from wealthy, often taking payment for his services in trade goods, he provides for his children. They attend school, and Jem and Scout are both good students and avid readers. Atticus reads with Scout every night and encourages them to come to him when they have problems or questions to be answered. Atticus allows them a certain degree of independence, but he also sets strict rules for them and has high expectations for their future. Above all else, Atticus leads by example, and his honesty and high moral values are not lost on Jem and Scout, who recognize that Atticus is probably the most important friend that the citizens of Maycomb have. Where Bob Ewell is the lowest form of "white trash" in the county, Atticus is the man who everyone else looks up to.