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How Does Mayella Ewell Impact How They Act

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How a person is raised will impact how they act, whether positive or negative. Take Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird she was raised by her father who was abusive and liked to drink. Due to her father’s habits, she has to raise her siblings, so she did not get to experience school and many other things. She went to school until about 3rd grade so she does not have a very good education because she could barely write her name and could not talk very literate. Family is an important part of life, by helping us improve our personality and shapes our lives. It teaches us to love and affection unless we are an Ewell, Mr. Ewell has Mayella so scared and bent out of shape that she blames a colored man of rape. When she is being questioned in …show more content…

You'll have to bear with me, Miss Mayela, I'm getting along and can't remember as well as I used to. I might ask you things you've already said before, but you'll give me an answer, won't you? Good.” I could see nothing in Mayella's expression to justify Atticus's assumption that he had secured her wholehearted cooperation. She was looking at him …show more content…

I don't hafta take his sass, I ain’t called upon to take it” (Lee 207). She stopped talking and would not answer Atticus because she felt attacked and offended. Her father has made her scared of men because he abuses and hurts her so when a man raises a voice at her she starts to get defensive and cries.
Mr. Eewll only shows violence towards Mayella and has her scared for her life
She was scared of her father and did not want to turn her own father in for abusing her so they blamed it on Tom Robison. She was a shy girl and untrustworthy to other people because of how she was raised and mistreated by her father. She is to scared to tell the truth about her father.
“Do you love your father, Miss Mayella?” was his next.
“ Love him, whatcha mean?”
“ I mean, is he good to ya, is he easy to get along with?”
“ He does tollable, ‘cept when-”
“ Except when?”
Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat up straight and waited for her to answer.
“ Except when he's drinking?” asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded (lee

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Atticus also asked Mayella “Do you love your father Miss? Mayella”(Lee 245) and she answered him with “He does tollable ‘cept when” (Lee 245). The last two pieces of evidence are, “My paw’s never touched a hair o’my head in my life” (Lee 246). Finally, when Atticus asks Mayella, she asks Tom inside the fence and she says “I did not, I certainly did not”(Lee 246-247) and when asked again she says, “I mighta, there were several niggas around” (Lee 246-247).

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When it comes down to Mayella to reach the stand she doesn’t appreciate Atticus’ behavior, Atticus is being courteous and professional, something

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In the classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson, a sympathetic, considerate African American field worker, is accused of the rape of an abused 19 year old white girl, Mayella Ewell. As the consequent trial unfolds, the reader glimpses Tom’s understanding personality despite the harsh 1930s stereotypes that cloud the trial. First, early into his testimony, Tom reveals that Mayella regularly invited him into the Ewell yard to do a few minor chores, which was usually chopping wood or toting water. Then, when Atticus, his defense attorney, asks if Tom was paid for his services, Tom replies, “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time.

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In the courtroom, when Atticus is questioning Mayella, he often calls her “miss Mayella.” Mayella is feeling offended from Atticus because she believes that he was exacerbating her. ”I’m not answering anymore questions until he stops

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If Atticus had approached Mayella with an attitude of hatred, she would continue to be impudent and act like she doesn’t care. “Atticus’s voice had lost its comfortableness; he was speaking in his arid, detached professional voice. ’Do you remember him beating you about the face?’’ (Atticus 247).

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The Ewell’s seem to have trouble with telling the truth. Mayella is lying about her story in order to hide the fact that her father most likely shouldn’t be taking care of her. Mayella comes in with injuries that she blames on Tom Robinson attacking, but everyone in the room knows that her father gets really angry when he’s drinking. Then, when Mayella is asked if her father has ever mistreated her, she hesitates before answering no. The hesitation was clearly noticeable and had to mean something.

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When trying to explain Mayella actions Atticus states,"She did

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In every chapter of the book that Atticus speaks or acts in, his patience shines through. For example, even when dealing with his kids who continually barrage him with complaints and questions, he acts as every loving father should with patience and slow-temperedness. Not only that, he also demonstrates immense forbearance when interrogating Mayella at Tom Robinson’s trial. Throughout the conversation with Mayella, she repeatedly accused Atticus of mocking her because of the fact that she got irritated when he would call her ma’am or Miss Mayella, and answered every of his questions very disrespectfully. Atticus, however, would respond by “strolling to the window and letting Judge Taylor handle it” (207), instead of bursting out in anger, and also by replying to her disrespectful comments with self-control and politeness.

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( 204). Mayella did something that never happened in Maycomb history, she kissed a black man. Atticus mentioned this because kissing a black man can get in this kind of

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Atticus asked her many questions that she does not answer but one that should have had a greater impact

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208-209). See the http://www.idl.org/idl.html>. This quote is long, but it is important because it shows that Mayella is being abused at home, and we know this because of how she changes her answer to protect her father after she notices his subtle cue of sitting up straight, and when Atticus gently suggests that Bob is abusive when he’s drinking, Mayella almost subconsciously nods to Atticus’s suggestion. This shows that Mayella is conflicted between the need to save her family’s image and most likely save herself from another beating, and the urge to tell the truth about how she feels, and what actually happens at home. There is also a much subtler quote that is equally as important, this is when Atticus says: “‘You say ‘he caught me and choked me and took advantage of me’ ---is that right?’

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Atticus speaks to Mayella Ewell kindly. Atticus questions Mayella, but first asks her some background questions to show the jury what kind of family she comes from. At first, Mayella takes exception to Atticus calling her "Miss Mayella," and the judge has to explain that Atticus is imply being polite. “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin‘ me,” she said. “Ma’am?”

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Edgar Watson Howe said “Those who are actually in society, are not as ridiculous as those who are trying to get in”. The way that society shapes and influence people is by forcing them to think that they have to live up to what society thinks they should be which leads people to do dumb things in order to survive in this society. Society shaped Victoria and Ruby to be victims then turned them into accusers to protect themselves, just like fictional character Mayella did. The way society shaped real life person Victoria price and fictional character Mayella Ewell was by being a white family in a black neighborhood they were already shunned by society in which they wanted to be accepted.

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During the trial, Mayella was reluctant to answer some questions that Atticus interrogated with her because Mayella thought Atticus was making fun of her by calling her “ma’am” and saying “Miss Mayella” (Lee 243). Because Mayella took offense to Atticus’s courtesy, Scout presumed that nobody had ever called Mayella “ma’am,” or “Miss Mayella” in her life (Lee 244). Mayella was nineteen at that the time of the trial; she was the eldest. Mayella could not recall how long her mother has been dead. When Atticus asked Mayella how long she went to school for, Mayella replied, “two year-three year-dunno” (Lee 244).

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During the trial, this passage in the book shows the conversation between Atticus Finch and Mayella:“He does tollable, ‘cept when—’ ‘Except when?’ Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat up straight and waited for her to answer. ‘Except when nothin‘,’ said Mayella. ‘I said he does tollable.’

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