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How Does Mayella Ewell Have Compassion

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Having Compassion for Mayella Ewell Everyone has a unique definition of compassion, but compassion is not just a word with a meaning. Compassion is a feeling for those who are worthy of it. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell is an overworked and unappreciated nineteen-year-old woman who accuses Tom Robinson of taking advantage of and raping her. Tom, an African American man who is disabled, is testifying in court against Mayella Ewell, and evidence shows that Mayella may be lying about her testimony. Mayella is worthy of compassion when taking account of her past experiences. Mayella Ewell should be treated with compassion because she has been abused physically and sexually by her father during her life. While Tom Robinson …show more content…

The evidence heavily supports that Tom Robinson could not have beaten Mayella Ewell. Robert not only lied in court, but he also beat Mayella himself. After seeing Mayella kiss Tom, Mayella’s father, who is extremely racist, beat Mayella which caused Tom Robinson to run away in fear, making him look guilty. Mayella Ewell has been abused by her father, sexually and physically, but he refuses to take the blame. Mayella Ewell unwillingly lies in court to sacrifice an innocent black man to keep her father free of accountability. Although Mayella has clearly lied in court, she was only doing the wrong thing because she had to. Mayella still deserves compassion because of how she has been treated her entire life. Irina Yugay, an author who has written many articles about self-development for Mindvalley, developed the idea that “True compassion goes beyond the understanding of another person’s suffering… compassion literally means to “suffer together” or “co-suffering.”

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Ladies and gentlemen, this case is about how Mayella broke her promise to the town of Maycomb Country by lying under oath. She lied because she was embarrassed that she tried to kiss Tom first and she did not want to expose her dad for beating her. Pieces of evidence that show Mayells is guilty are when she says “. . . Papa told me to do it while he was. . .”

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Everyone in the courthouse on the night of the trial knew that Tom Robinson was innocent. But at the end of the trial, that didn’t matter. Tom Robinson was a black man, and because of this difference that should not make a difference, he had no say over the family of whites, the Ewells. Tom Robinson was wrongly convicted of raping and beating Mayella Ewell. The evidence of the case leads to the conclusion that Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father was responsible for this misfortune.

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During the trial, Tom Robinson revealed that Mayella’s father verbally and sexually abuses her. Tom states “She says she never kissed a grown man before. She says what her papa do to her don’t count.” (Doc. B) After Mr. Ewell caught Tom and Mayella, he called Mayella a “goddamn whore” and threatens her by saying “I’ll kill ya.” (Doc. B)

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Many people either looked down on her family because the Ewells were so poor, while others felt sorry for her. During the Tom Robinson trial, Tom was questioned about why he helped Mayella with her chores. He replied “I felt right sorry for her”. Even someone like Tom Robinson admitted that he had felt sorry for Mayella.

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Empathy went to those in harmful environments who did not fulfill the treatment they got, this is why other people could feel compassionate for Mayella because she did not ask or deserve how her dad and the village treated her. Mayella is distinguished from benevolence since compassionate individuals feel bad for those who are suffering,“ Compassion can be thought of as a mental state or an orientation towards suffering (your own or others’) (Jazaieri). Mayella’s inability to elope with her dad due to the time period and the fact that she's a gentlewoman makes compassionate individuals feel more empathetic for her. Women did not work backside then, so they had nowhere to rotate.

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Mayella was was just a poor girl who had never been to school a day in her life and suffered so much abuse from her father, she didn’t give herself the opportunity to be powerful. In a time of oppression and depression Mayella standing up would have been a monumental change but she never seized it and took advantage, she let everyone else take advantage of

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He is a compassionate person and was only trying to help Mayella with her chores when she came up and tried to make a move on Tom even though he did not do anything wrong. Mayella takes advantage of people and their Achilles heels. Mayella does not give compassion to others; accordingly, she is not entitled to compassion. Compassion could be described as “a mental state or an orientation towards suffering” (Jazaieri). Compassion is an empathetic feeling that is able to detect when someone is feeling down or is undergoing a challenging situation.

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Mayella was born in the lowest class. Being poor in Maycomb wasn’t uncommon but as poor as she was, it was a little much. Mayella tried to be normal compared to her family. When being described, “Mr. Ewell had a scalded look; as if an overnight soaking had deprived him of protective layers of dirt… Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean,” (Lee 239) Mayella tried to be a decent person unlike the family she was born into.

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In this instance, her class works to her advantage- being poor made people more sympathetic to her cause. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout states that “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin. . .”(Lee Document A). In many cases, when people are seen as weak, others rise to their defense and become advocates to their case. An example of this is last year’s world series: The Chicago Cubs were highly favored because they were “underdogs,” much like Mayella is.

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But she said he took advantage of her, and when she stood up she looked at him as if he were dirt beneath her feet.” Mayella’s loneliness and powerlessness drove her to have an affair with a black man, breaking a societal code. She is a victim of poverty because of the hatred and discrimination occurring in Maycomb. Although some might view Mayella Ewell as a victim, others might view her as a villain because she broke a societal code by attempting to have an affair with a Negro.

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