Mayella Ewell's Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper Lee's novel “To Kill a MockingBird”, a woman named Mayella Ewell, lived on a Piggery in Maycomb, Alabama. Mayella lived in a time when Class, race, and gender were a big controversy. Mayella had allegations against Tom Robinson. Class, race and gender were an advantage for her because of the trial with Tom Robinson. Mayella had no say in the trial, which caused her to have no power. The Ewell’s had little to no money at all, and struggled with class. The family lived behind a dump. In the trial with Tom Robinson, Mayella was scared to tell the truth because of the looks her dad was giving her when it was her turn to speak. Mayella was almost forced to say Tom Robinson raped her or her dad would have beaten her. Mayella has no power because she is very poor and she is a girl. In the 1930’s women had no rights and men did all the work. “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin. Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls… What passed for a fence was bits of tree-limbs, broomsticks and tool shafts… Enclosed by this barricade was a dirty yard” (“DBQ Is Mayella Powerful 19 Doc A”).

Women could not go to work and make money, in the south they stayed at home and did work inside the house and cooked. “Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean…” (Doc A; Chapter 18) All women had expectations to live by. Men in the 1930’s went to work everyday trying to make money so their family could survive.When Mayella's mom died Mayella had to take the role of being a mom because she was the oldest girl. That was hard for the Ewell’s because she was only 19 years old and she did not know everything about parenting. Then on the other side her dad raped her then he accused Tom Robinson of the rape. Mayella had little say in the trial because she was a women and women had no