Compare And Contrast Mayella Ewell And To Kill A Mockingbird

The book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, features a southern family in the 1930’s. The Finches live in Maycomb Alabama, a town unfortunately plagued with racism. Atticus, a lawyer, decides to represent Tom Robinson. A black man. Going against the popular belief in his town, he risks his life and the lives of his children, Jem and Scout. We watch as the children maneuver through their young lives all while staying true to their morals. This book introduces us to many characters who give us an idea of the contrast within Maycomb. Specifically, two characters who share interesting contrast and comparisons are Scout Finch and Mayella Ewell. These two share many similarities in the way they stray from the epitome of a lady and how they are

For Scout, she is either too girly or not girly enough. Mayella on the other hand, never being treated like a lady, is unaware how to act like one. When Scout is having a conversation with Aunt Alexandra she is told, “(she) could not hope to be a lady if (she) wore breeches…(she) wasn’t supposed to be doing anything that required pants,” (Lee 108). Aunt Alexandra assumes that Scout ‘hopes’ to be a lady when really, Scout is happy being herself. Because of the time period, Alexandra is so wrapped up in the standards of a lady she cannot comprehend that Scout can be happy without wearing dresses. Mayella, though unintentionally doing so, also strays from the standards of a lady. While in court, she shows the reader how little she knows of simple pleasantries when Atticus calls her ma’am and she responds by, “‘Long’s he keeps on callin’ me ma’am an sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take this sass, I ain’t called upon to take it,’” (Lee 243). The readers clearly see the little experience Mayella has with being treated like a lady. Because of her low status and her terrible family situation, she has never been treated with appreciation. She interprets Atticus’s respect as mockery. Either way, they stand out in their town as people who are different, and do not fall in line behind the next “lady”. While these characters are similar, Mayella is breaking the social code because

Both Scout and Mayella are forced to grow up before they are ready. Scout is forced to grow up the second her father takes Tom Robinson’s case. The moment we see Scout realize that Maycomb, in this time, is not her friend is the jail scene when someone tried to attack Jem, “He yanked Jem nearly off his feet. ‘Don’t you touch him!’ I kicked the man swiftly. Barefooted, I was surprised to see him fall back in real pain,” (Lee 203-204). This is the moment when Scout realizes the people she grew up with wanted to cause her and her family harm. She realizes no matter your age or history a difference in opinion can be fatal. Mayella was forced to grow up the day her father first hit her. The reader if confronted with this when Atticus asks Mayella, “‘What did your father see in the window, the crime of rape or best defense to it? Why don’t you tell the truth, child, didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up?’” (Lee 257). One can infer that Mayella never had the chance to be a kid because of her father’s abusive ways. The trial though, forced Mayella to realize that her father’s behavior was not normal. These two girls were forced to grow up in order to understand the ways of the world and how not everything is