Compassionate people tend to feel empathetic towards anyone suffering. But no one has contended the question of whether or not someone’s actions dictate whether they are worthy of compassion or not. One example to answer the aforementioned question can be found in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. A black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a nineteen-year-old white girl named Mayella Ewell. This causes an outrage in Maycomb county, Alabama, where the story takes place, and many residents have conflicting opinions of the situation. Bob Ewell, the father of Mayella Ewell, takes Tom Robinson to court in hopes of convicting him of rape and showing that his family is superior since the Ewell family is seen as disgusting and lowly compared to other white families in Maycomb county. Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson’s defense attorney, believes that Tom Robinson is not guilty and is trying to clear …show more content…
One reason Mayella deserves compassion is that she was abused by her father. During the court case between Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson, Atticus was cross-examining Mayella when he asks her, “‘Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father?’ … ‘What did your father see in the window, the crime of rape or the best defense to it? Why don’t you tell the truth, child, didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up?’”(Lee 251). Atticus’s questioning reveals that Mayella is scared of her father when she abstains from answering. This makes it all more difficult for her to say the truth, especially since he is abusive. The lie of Tom Robinson raping her was more than likely forced onto her by her father as a perfect excuse to cover up what he did to her. Any compassionate person would have “a readiness to take action to relieve [her] suffering” (Jazaieri). If a compassionate person saw what Mayella is going through, they would be more than ready to help her, further proving that she deserves compassion and empathy from