How would you feel if you were found guilty of a crime that you did not commit and you were wrongfully imprisoned for it? In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, an innocent black man whose name is Tom Robinson is found guilty of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Mayella exploited Tom’s kindness and generosity and this landed him in a courtroom facing a hefty jail sentence. She had the opportunity to tell the truth and set Tom free, but since she with-held the truth, this later leads to the death of an innocent black man. Mayella should be held fully and solely responsible, deserving condemnation instead of pity because she brought this problem upon herself, she broke the oath, and had the opportunity to rectify everything by telling the truth. One would not simply take a friend for granted. Mayella Ewell does this. She invites Tom into her home on numerous occasions to help her with small tasks. Due to the fact that Tom is kind to her, she considers Tom as her only …show more content…
It is quite obvious that Mayella Ewell lies when she is placed on the witness stand. It is clear that she is unable to tell the truth because she stutters and forgets what she is saying. Mayella states to the defense party, “'I don't recollect if he hit me. I mean yes I do, he hit me.'" (pg 185) The details she hands over do not add up, and thus makes the defense party question her even more. The more they question her, the more lies she adds to her already fabricated story. She then proceeds to raise her voice while sobbing and breaking down in the courtroom. A tactic she used to win over the people of Maycomb’s hearts that are full of pity for her. Atticus is persistent when he asks her to just fess up and admit that Tom is innocent, but she continues to go along with her bogus story. For committing a severe crime well known as perjury, Mayella Ewell should be held one-hundred percent fully and solely responsible for her