Examples Of Red Geraniums In To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Mayella Ewell’s red geraniums to construe that she is impossibly close to being a normal girl, but is held back by her family name and the conditions in which she lives. To begin, Scout describes the Ewell residence, including a corner of the yard, which contains “six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums” (Lee 228). These stunning red geraniums are cogent with describing Mayella’s situation: living in terrible conditions within a toxic family environment. She is exactly like her red geraniums due to the fact that she is a beautiful, wonderful girl who, unfortunately, can never be normal in the grand scheme of things. She is a Ewell, an outcast, a disgrace, and she will always be

Like Mayella, a red geranium will be infinitely similar to a rose, but never actually what it seems to be. Additionally, by examining the premise on which the geraniums are grown, one can see the conditions of Mayella’s upbringing. Mayella’s geraniums grow in slop jars, otherwise known as chamber pots. This relates to Mayella because she grows up in terrible, terrible conditions.She is beaten by her father, her father spends all the money he receives from the government on alcohol, and she is hated by everyone because she is ‘just another Ewell.’ Despite all of this, however, Mayella still grows and is still the best she can be, just like her geraniums. But alas, like her flowers, Mayella can never escape the slop jar she grew up in. This is shown when Mayella lied during the trial, after she began to say an extra detail in the case and Mr. Ewell “sat straight up and waited for her to answer” (245). When Mr. Ewell does this, Mayella quickly takes back what she was about to say and hides evidence from the jury. Despite her growth out of the top of the slop jar, like her geraniums, she can never escape the place from which she