The Many Faces of Evil in To Kill a Mockingbird"Our greatest evils arise from ourselves" (Tripp 192). This statement, by Rousseau, embodies many points of evil discussed in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In our world we constantly find ourselves face to face with evil. Evil comes in many forms, including prejudice, alcoholism, drug abuse, irresponsibility, and violence against others. The most prevalent faces of evil in To Kill A Mockingbird are prejudice, alcoholism and gossip. Numerous illustrations of racism are scattered throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. Statements such as “Your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for” (Lee 108) are common throughout the novel. The use of racist statements like these seemed to annoy many people who were then moved to ban Lee's book from their schools. If we look back to the times when the book was written, we can understand the use of the word "nigger." In the early 20th century, the word "nigger" was used as frequently as many people use the word "black" today. The general public didn't realize or care how demeaning the word "nigger" was. Eventually, some African Americans became so accustomed to hearing it that they no longer paid attention to it. Atticus Finch, Scout's father, however, had a different way of thinking. Although Atticus was Caucasian, he realized that the word "nigger" was wrong to say. He didn't use that word and instructed his children not to use it either. This courtesy did not catch on. People continued to refer to African Americans as "niggers" and to call anyone who was nice to "niggers" a "nigger lover." Scout realized this, and as she matured, she came to understand how wrong the use of the word "nigger" was. Jean Louise, Scout, was subject to more evil than racism. Robert Ewell, a violent alcoholic, attempted to kill Scout and Jem in a rage. Mr. Ewell appeared at many points in the book, and it was his daughter, Mayella Ewell, who brought false charges against Tom Robinson for the crime of rape and battery. Almost every time Ewell was mentioned, he was described as violent or totally drunk. He used the social security checks he received not to buy food for the family, but to buy alcohol for his personal consumption..