Compassion is obtained from others. Depending on the circumstances, some people acquire compassion, and others do not. Mayella Violet Ewell, an 18-year-old white female, in Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, falsely accuses Tom Robinson, a black man, of sexually assaulting her, which commences a court case in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. Mayella has a tough life at home because of how her father treats her, and her overall reputation in the town of Maycomb is terrible, and she is considered white trash because she does not go to school and lives in bad conditions. Mayella Ewell deserves compassion because of her lack of knowledge. Mayella Ewell does not understand what compassion is because she has never experienced it herself. When Tom Robinson testifies his side of the story, he explains, “‘She reached up an’ kissed me …show more content…
She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a N*****. She says what her papa do to her don’t count’” (Lee 221). His testimony is a significant point in understanding how substandard Mayella Ewell’s life truly is. What Tom said about Mayella’s dad conveys that Mayella is experiencing sexual abuse by her father behind closed doors, which no one should have to go through. Mayella never learned to sympathize for her and her own home life, which is sorrowful because “I [the author] find it also helps renew one’s optimism as it reminds us we are not alone in these practices [compassion practices]. Many others are choosing to acknowledge suffering (their own and others’) and wish to see the relief of suffering” (Jazaieri). Mayella has had little experience with compassion and love in her life, and her not having those experiences makes her not