There could be many reasons as to why Mayella lied in the trial when recounting her verison of what happened on that fateful night. In my opinion, the main reason behind her deceit is the fact that she believes her reputation is much greater than others’ lives. In other words, she is dangerously selfish. One reason she may act like this is because she is an Ewell, and was therefore raised to be like one. The Ewells are innately racist. For example, Mayella and Mr. Ewell always refer to African Americans as n*****s. Even during the trial, Mr. Ewell used the word frequently until Judge Taylor requested that he “keep his testimony within the confines of Christian English usage.” In addition to that, Mr. Ewell had previously requested that the city clear the “n***** nest” that he lives near. …show more content…
Another thing that defines Ewells is the way they treat others in general: just plain old mean. Of course, there are the instances in which Mr. Ewell and Mayella talked with spite and sass towards others, especially Atticus. Then there is the event early in the book in which Burris talked back to and insulted Miss Caroline. Even Atticus talked bad about the Ewells, saying he could not recall the last time that an Ewell did an honest day’s work. Another main reason for her valuing her reputation above others’ lives is that if the truth comes out about what happened that night, she would pretty much have no reputation left whatsoever. The truth, quite frankly, would ruin her. This is due in part to the code of etiquette implied by Jim Crow. Many of the restrictions put upon the South by Jim Crow were not just laws, but rules of conduct that were treated like laws. These laws and rules determined how African Americans could conduct themselves in public. For example, black men could not, under any circumstances, touch a white woman; it would be the equivalent of