How Does Mayella Ewell In To Kill A Mockingbird

Mayella Violet Ewell is a nineteen-and-a-half year old girl who lives in Maycomb County. She is the eldest of the eight Ewell siblings, and is the only other family member besides her father who knows how to read and write. She plays the role of mother to her siblings when her father drinks away their relief checks, and their family lives behind the town’s garbage dump. When called to the witness stand, the author gives us a brief description of her character. “...she seemed somehow fragile looking, but when she sat facing us in the witness chair she became what she was, a thick bodied girl accustomed to strenuous labor.” - (Chapter 18, P. 239) Both Mayella and her family are deemed white trash in the caste system of Maycomb, and their family has little to no influential power over anyone in the town.

When Mayella is testifying, she reprimands Atticus for mocking her, when in hindsight, he was only treating her with the upmost respect. “I wondered if anybody had ever called her “ma’am,” or “Miss Mayella” in her life; provably not as she took offence to routine courtesy.” - (Chapter 18, P. 244) Since, Mayella is unfamiliar with courtesy, it comes to show that she has never been truly respected. This brings to light the inhumane conditions Mayella has been forced to live in throughout her life. In the events of the trials, Mayella Ewell states that she was a victim to choking, beating, and rape. She accuses Tom Robinson of the crime, and eventually leaves the witness stand in hatred and