begins walking away. Bob Ewell accuses Atticus of being too proud to fight, and Atticus responds that he is too old to fight.

“Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin‘ bastard?” Miss Stephanie said Atticus said, “No, too old,” put his hands in his pockets and strolled on.

Jem and Scout want to know why Atticus didn't attempt to fight back. Atticus gives a couple of reasons. One reason is that Bob Ewell needed to vent his frustrations, because he had been embarrassed in court. Atticus figured he was, in a way, helping Bob out.  

“Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. 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 comeback, his kind always does."

The more powerful reason that Atticus gives for his actions, though, is about Mayella. Atticus tells Jem and Scout that if he takes the brunt of Bob's anger, then Mayella won't have to.

"So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there."

Bob Ewell curses and spits at Atticus because he's mad at Atticus for making him look bad in front of the entire town.  Legally, Bob Ewell attained the victory in the court case.  Atticus Finch did not convince the jury of Tom Robinson's innocence.  At least that is how the official court record will show it.  

Harper Lee does a fantastic job of showing her readers that the only reason Tom was convicted and sentenced was because of his skin color.  Atticus proved to everybody in the court room that Tom was innocent.  Not only that, but he proved that Mayella was lying, which made Bob and his family look more ridiculous than normal.  

When Bob spit in Atticus's face and screamed curses at him, Atticus simply stood there quietly.  When Bob asked him if he was too proud to fight, Atticus responded that he was "too old," put his hands in his pockets, and walked away.  

Mrs. Crawford described the encounter like this:

"Atticus didn't bat an eye, just took a handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names wild horses could not bring her to repeat."

Scout and Jem on the other hand think it is a very big deal.  They are quite scared for Atticus's safety.  They suggest that Atticus maybe carry a gun.  Then they try and reason with Atticus.  No change in Atticus. Then Scout and Jem mope around the house until Atticus flat out asks what is still bothering them.  They say the Bob Ewell encounter.  Atticus explains that the encounter was just something that Bob had to get out of his system.  Atticus also says that by spitting in his face, Bob most likely wouldn't beat his daughter that night. Atticus's confidence relieves Jem and Scout's concerns, and they no longer worry about it. 

"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 comeback, 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. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. "

When Bob Ewell spits in his face, Atticus only wipes it off.

Bob Ewell is very angry when Atticus defends Tom Robinson, but he is even angrier with the outcome of the case.  Although Tom is not acquitted, it is clear that he is convicted only because he is a black man who was hanging around a white woman.  Every man on that jury, and every person in town, knows that he didn’t do it.  This infuriates Bob Ewell, who feels humiliated.  This is the reason he spits in Atticus’s face.  The fact that the jury deliberated for as long as they did proved that Atticus had a case, and they actually thought about letting Tom go.  Bob Ewell cannot live with that shame.

Scout hears from Miss Stephanie Crawford that Bob Ewell cursed Atticus and threatened to kill him, and then spit in his face.

Miss Stephanie said Atticus didn't bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names wild horses could not bring her to repeat. (Ch. 23)

Bob Ewell asked Atticus if he was too proud to fight, and he responded that he was too old.  He told his children that he was just relieved that Bob Ewell did not chew tobacco.  Scout is worried about her father’s safety, and wonders if he shouldn’t carry a gun.  Jem reminds her that he never would. 

The incident foreshadows Ewell’s attack on the Finch children later in the book.  Bob Ewell is an angry, violent man.  When he attacks the Finch children he is drunk.  He is clearly abusive toward Mayella for one thing.  He is the one who hit her, and hit her regularly.  Atticus proved it, and made sure the whole town knew it.

After Tom Robinson's trial and conviction, Bob Ewell was enraged at Atticus because both he and Mayella had been so vigorously cross examined by Atticus in his defense of Tom. When Ewell and his daughter were on the witness stand, Atticus through his questioning showed them both to be liars. Ewell was furious because he had been humiliated by the truth, and he directed all his fury at Atticus. 

When Ewell found Atticus on the corner by the post office, Ewell spat in his face, tried to start a fight, and threatened to kill him. According to witnesses, he told Atticus he would "get him," regardless of how long it took. Atticus, however, ignored Ewell's taunts and refused to fight with him.

However, Bob Ewell did not follow through on his threats by attacking Atticus. Instead, being the coward he was, he tried to get even with Atticus by attempting to kill his children.