More handpicked essays just for you.
The effects of prejudice and discrimination
Effects of discrimination and prejudice
Examples of racism in society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
However, from Tom’s perspective, he passes by the Ewell place every day to get to work and he would do chores for Mayella. One day, Mayella asks him to cut up a chiffarobe, but Mayella forces herself onto Tom,
Ewell v. Robertson Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. Everyone believes Mayella should have cooperated with Atticus but, some believe Mayella should have cooperated with Atticus and on the contrary, some believe Mayella should not have cooperated with Atticus. Mayella should have cooperated with Atticus for three reasons: Mayella was protecting the town, Atticus was doing his job and, the worst truth is better that the best lie. -parallel The first reason Mayella should have cooperated with Atticus was that she was protecting the town.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird Mayella Ewell's is a powerful young teenager. In the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama Mayella set news to the small town, she made allegations of rape against Tom Robinson. Mayella is as powerful as the ocean when it takes you underwater. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird will show Mayella’s power by using Class, Race, and Gender.
Mayella’s family is wrong for using Tom Robinson for their own well-being to cover up their mistakes. Bob Ewell scares Mayella away from saying the truth about the situation because he will hurt her if she does not lie. Mayella is caught in a Lie when she says “No, I don’t recollect if he hit me. I mean yes I do, he hit me.” (Lee 188) Mayella stutters while on trial saying that Tom did not hit her but then quickly changes her story that he did.
“Atticus was quietly building up before the jury a picture of the Ewells’ home life… and there was a strong suspicion that Papa drank it up anyway.” (Narrator 244). Atticus portrays Mayella’s life at home, he tries to get the jury to feel sorry for her which helped him to be successful in the trial. Since Atticus was acting so nice and acting like he relates to Mayella, she eventually let her guard down and got cornered by Atticus. Atticus “trapped” Mayella, and the only reason he was successful in doing so was because of his solicitude.
“ ...white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes [the Ewells’ nearest neighbors] wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white...” (Lee, Chapter 19). For a white person, Mayella is extremely poor and lives in such a filthy home that no one (white nor negro) would want anything to do with her. Whites does not like her because of the condition and filthiness of her home and the pigs. Negroes does not like her because she is white.
Mayella has gotten verbally abused because Atticus asked her “except when he’s drinking? Asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded. ”(Doc B) Mayella has also been physically abused because Atticus said “What did her father do? We don’t know, but there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left. ”(Doc B)
The 1930s was a very challenging time for america, it was the peak of the the Great Depression and the social oppression of women. The fictional novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is centered around the political issues america faced. The novel takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb Alabama where we look at the case of Tom Robinson against Mayella and Bob Ewell. The story goes that Tom Robinson went into the Ewell household and took advantage of Mayella and beat her. Although Mayella was actually the perpetrator, she won the case and Tom Robinson was sentenced to prison.
Atticus is talking to the people in the jury and explaining what Mayella did to Tom and how bad it is. Atticus said “ She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: She kissed a black man. Not an old uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.”
The beating of Mayella was a consequence of Bob Ewell’s deep prejudice that black men are inferior to white men. As a result of one man’s pride a young woman put in a horrible position. The conflict makes it is easy to see the need for our world to understand and control our pride in instances where it is at stake. Another conflict in the novel is centered around a person’s pride being broken, as Jem loses his temper with Mrs. Dubose. Mrs.Dubose made rude remarks about Scout's “overalls” and his fathers “Lawing for” Black people(117).
In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee took the minor character of Mayella Ewell and made her into a sympathetic role to her readers in a latent way. Mayella's life at home is told through the story's background and foreshadowing references. This is how Lee made Mayella memorable enough to the reader to know who she is and her family situation without needing her point of view of her side of the story. Once Mayella enters the storyline, her actions will become understandable to the reader and generate sympathy. One way Lee makes Mayella a sympathetic character is how before entering her into the story, one of Mayella's younger siblings was introduced.
She was in the worst part of the social structure there is, "Maycomb's Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin […]" (Doc A). Unfortunately, because she's so poor, no one above her wanted anything to do with her, "[…] white people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs […]" (Doc E). Unfortunately, Mayella turned out
During the trial of Mayella Ewell verses Tom Robinson, Tom is being questioned. After telling his side of the story he explains why he would help Mayella for nothing in return. He explains, “Looked like she didn’t have nobody to help her... I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more than the rest of ‘em” (Lee 264). Mayella has always been a very lonely person who needed someone to have sympathy for her.
In the successful novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the character, Mayella Ewell, is portrayed as a victim and villain. She is a complex character who can be viewed as a lonely victim of poverty and neglect. She is also a 19 year old adult who falsely accused a man of a crime he didn’t commit. A victim is a person who feels powerless, needs lots of attention, and is passive. A villain is one who is trying to accomplish a mission, acting on personal desires, and is hiding something.
Mayella Ewell is neither wholly good nor evil she makes decisions that shape her life whether they are good or bad. She views Tom Robinson as a handsome man and calls for him to destroy an old dresser. Despite Tom’s wishes, Mayella entraps him and starts to harass Tom by hugging him. During his testimony Tom explains, “no suh, she - she hugged me. She hugged me round the waist” (Lee 259).
