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Appearance In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Looking Beyond the Character
Many times people have said that appearances can be deceiving, or that appearances are not what they seem. This can be proved true with the characters in a novel. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, she shows many examples of this in her writing. The story covers a few characters who the readers eventually get to see and know more about, who demonstrate a theme of how people are not always what they seem to be. As a result, the readers learn about these characters that they are not as crazy and irregular as they are viewed, but far different than their appearances suggest. The author of this book presents the fact that people’s demeanors can often be misleading.
Specifically, one of the characters in To Kill a …show more content…

Mayella is a Ewell, therefore she is immediately categorized into a filthy, disgraceful person, as all Ewells appear to be. When Scout is listening at the trial, she begins to remember the red geraniums that she had seen at the Ewell’s dump of a house. She also figures out, “As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years” (Lee 195). Mayella Ewell is someone who wants a better life, or a better situation to be in, so she tries to improve it anyway she can, like planting the little geraniums to make her space a little nicer. As a result of the Ewells’ situation, she gets lumped in with the older people who do not deserve a good life. Thereafter, Scout recaps the fact that Mayella does not have any friends, and when Atticus asks Mayella about her friends, she assumes he is mocking her or making fun of her. Furthermore, Tom Robinson was probably the only thing she had that was close to a friend to her. Again, we see how Harper Lee expresses the fact that appearances are not what they

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After thinking about how isolated Mayella must be despite having a sizeable family, Scout compares the alcoholic’s daughter to the utmost introverted neighbour, Boo Radley. After an unsafe circumstance, Scout leads Boo to his house after he saving her and her brother; she stands on his porch and recounts the past 3 years from his perspective, “It was summertime, and two children scampered down the sidewalk toward a man approaching in the distance.” (374). She finally completely understands him by being where he has, watching and enjoying the children’s theatricals. Standing where Boo watches his neighbours carry on with their lives was enough for Scout to understand what he was thinking and feeling.

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In the courtroom, when Atticus is questioning Mayella, he often calls her “miss Mayella.” Mayella is feeling offended from Atticus because she believes that he was exacerbating her. ”I’m not answering anymore questions until he stops

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“Atticus was quietly building up before the jury a picture of the Ewells’ home life… and there was a strong suspicion that Papa drank it up anyway.” (Narrator 244). Atticus portrays Mayella’s life at home, he tries to get the jury to feel sorry for her which helped him to be successful in the trial. Since Atticus was acting so nice and acting like he relates to Mayella, she eventually let her guard down and got cornered by Atticus. Atticus “trapped” Mayella, and the only reason he was successful in doing so was because of his solicitude.

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Naael Naqvi Ms. Harding English I - 1st Period 12/4/17 Dishonest Indictment Raised in a toxic environment, Mayella Ewell is faced with numerous challenges such as her father, Bob Ewell, and an absence of self-worth. With this stress upon her, she wrongfully accused Tom Robinson of rape. Throughout the trial of she, it is proven to be evident after all the witness have spoken, that Mayella is more so a victim, than the perpetrator in the novel. It can be proven that Mayella is the victim, as she is placed in a tough situation with many different types of pressure. The most prominent of her issues is that her father coerces her and supposedly abuses her.

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To kill a mockingbird report “Appearances can be deceiving” This cliché term teaches us that your appearance doesn't determine your potential that lies underneath. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird harper lee uses characterization and symbolism to show the reader that appearances are not always what they seem , and if you reveal what's underneath you realize that the world is more complex than you think. Many characters in the novel have deceived appearances . one of them is Mrs. dubose ,

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Mayella was not favored by the people in Maycomb. She was extremely poor and never spoke on any harassment she suffered from her father. Tom Robinson attempts to get the truth out in the open when he is giving his testimony, “She said what her papa do to her don’t count” (Doc B). Mayella doesn’t fully understand that her father is physically abusive towards her. To her it’s just love.

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In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee took the minor character of Mayella Ewell and made her into a sympathetic role to her readers in a latent way. Mayella's life at home is told through the story's background and foreshadowing references. This is how Lee made Mayella memorable enough to the reader to know who she is and her family situation without needing her point of view of her side of the story. Once Mayella enters the storyline, her actions will become understandable to the reader and generate sympathy. One way Lee makes Mayella a sympathetic character is how before entering her into the story, one of Mayella's younger siblings was introduced.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Character Analysis In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are many complex characters. A complex character is a character that goes through a change throughout the story as well as having a variety of traits and many sides to their personalities. One of the main characters, Scout Finch, is a complex character that shows how she can be determined, defensive, and understanding throughout this novel.

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That is what Mayella told everyone in the court; including Atticus. Seem Atticus is still not believing her words and he keep asking and pressuring her when she become silence until she say “I got somethin' to say. And then I ain't gonna say no more. He took advantage of me. An' if you fine, fancy gentlemen ain't gonna do nothin' about it, then you're just a bunch of lousy, yella, stinkin' cowards, the - the whole bunch of ya, and your fancy airs don't come to nothin'.

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But she said he took advantage of her, and when she stood up she looked at him as if he were dirt beneath her feet.” Mayella’s loneliness and powerlessness drove her to have an affair with a black man, breaking a societal code. She is a victim of poverty because of the hatred and discrimination occurring in Maycomb. Although some might view Mayella Ewell as a victim, others might view her as a villain because she broke a societal code by attempting to have an affair with a Negro.

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Appearance VS. Reality In the novel To Kill a MockingBird written by Harper Lee there are many events that occur that show the theme of appearance vs Reality. Throughout the story Boo radley is looked at as a monster that hides in his house and scares children. Mrs.Dubose is an old lady who had a morphine addiction and Tom robinson is known for sexualy abuseing a young white woman.

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Perception defines the world around you. It affects every aspect of your being: your thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc… In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch begins to understand just how impactful perception can be as she witnesses the deterioration of the dignity of Tom Robinson, a black man who is being tried for the rape of a white girl. In this intriguing read, Harper Lee demonstrates the theme of inaccurate allegations very effectively. More specifically, when inaccurate allegations that are solely based on perceptions are presented, the consequences can be significant, for others may suffer at great lengths.

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To Kill A Mockingbird begin to realize that one cannot know a person until they peek beyond that person’s appearance. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, many characters

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During the book and the movie, whites were trying to get rid blacks like they were nothing. As Atticus states “Mayella has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. In other words, Mayella is trying to get rid of Tom so it doesn’t make her remember her guilt. Atticus explains that anyone who has a relation with a black in the society is segregated like a black, and because Mayella is already poor, she cannot afford to be more lowered in the society. So she’s trying to get rid of Tom.

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During Tom Robinson’s testimony, Scout had epiphany. “As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella must have been the loneliest girl in the world” was what she had said. Mayella’s loneliness can be clearly seen by anyone who talks to her. Furthermore, she does not know what it feels like to be treated politely. For example, when Atticus Finch calls her ma’am, she asks him to stop giving her attitude and then proceeds to yell at him.

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