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. “What did your father see in the window, the crime of rape or the best defense to it?... didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up?” (Lee 251). It is apparent that her father abused her; thus displaying that she is a maltreated at home, a place where you should feel safe and comfortable. Torment like this would make someone, like Mayella, feel very weak around almost anyone; especially her father. If Bob Ewell abuses her, it is very feasible that he …show more content…
She lives behind a dump; that explains why her family’s place in the community is so low. With being the oldest of seven children, Mayella is responsible for taking care of the younger kids; is very antisocial. As they have no access to a shower, they live uncleanly; they don’t bathe and wear the same filthy clothes every day. To an average family, this would look very upsetting; ipso facto resulting in the Ewell’s rank in society. With a drunk father, Bob Ewell, a lot of the family’s safety, authority, and well being is provided by Mayella. With these responsibilities and her low social hierarchy, she isn’t seen to have friends. This drives her to be lonely; her isolation explains Tom Robinson’s side of the story and why she followed through with what her father