Power, everyone wants it but historically in society who has it and under what conditions do they have it? In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee set in Maycomb Alabama in the 1930’s, Tom Robinson is accused of rape by Mayella Ewell and put on trial; Atticus Finch is his lawyer who works tirelessly to prove Tom’s innocence. Mayella’s acquisition of rape, as aforementioned, is false and in reality she was flirtatious towards Tom Robinson. She got caught by her dad peering in the window, as she was committing this act of repressed love that was in fact illegal and shamed upon at the time due to Jim Crow laws at the time. The outcome of the trials leaves Tom shot dead when trying to escape the prison he was put in, Mayella's return to her sad, …show more content…
This can be seen in the text when Jem and Pastor Sykes are talking about the trial and Pastor Sykes says, “‘Now don’t you be so confident Mr. Jem, I aint ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man”(Document D). The correct assumption that Mayella will win the case is based on her race as the jury sees her as superior.. Mayellas’ race is indubitably, gravely powerful in this case and it could be said that it was one of the sole reasons this case was won. Furthermore, there is additional evidence proving Mayella’s power in terms of race when Atticus is questioning Mayella and she starts saying,”’Long’s he keeps on callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella I dont hafta take his sass.’” (Document C). Atticus is addressing Mayellas as ma’am, in order to show utmost respect, as if he didn't it would be frowned upon given Mayella's race. In contrast, when Tom Robinson is addressed as a boy in court, he is seen when Mr Gilmer says, “‘Are you being impudent to me boy’”(Document C). The difference in respect is largely based on the difference in race from Mayellas to Tom. It also is important to note the contrast in reaction from Tom, being discriminated against because he’s black yet not getting mad, to Mayellas, being treated with the utmost respect yet still finding a way to have a negative reaction. To summarize, Mayella's race played immense leaps and strides that went into her winning of the case; if Mayella were …show more content…
This can be seen when Scout is reflecting on the trial and says,”... white people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs”(Document E). This sentence is very revealing about how Mayella’s living conditions isolate her from other people. She doesn't have any power or voice in where she lives, leaving her completely perilous in power. This lack of power in class is also evident when Mayella and Bob Ewell are described as taking the stand. The text states,” Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard” (Document A). Mayella's appearance alludes to that she was a hundred percent clean, definitely not as clean as the average person. Also, the presence of flowers is a big contrast to the rest of the yard, as it was described as dark, dirty, and in shambles whereas flowers are shiny, clean, and beautiful. Mayellas is trying to differentiate herself from her family, she didn't like the negative assumptions the people of Maycomb were making about her. So, she tried to have power in the act of planting flowers. Mayella cant control her living condition of how others view her based on her class thus leaving her powerless and with empty pity from many
The concept of a white woman being touched, let alone raped by an African American male was an assumption in the little town of Maycomb Alabama, 1930’s. During this period Mayella is considered helpless due to being a female as well as lonely and afraid considering her status as a poor white piece of trash. She manipulates people by using her social class, gender, and race to her advantage. In particular, her accusations made against Tom Robinson, an African American man. These factors lead to her gaining power with the trial and conviction of Tom Robinson. Race refers to the categorization of people based on physical differences.(“Is Mayella Powerful?” 7) Mayella Ewell had perquisites due to her race, which helped her during the conviction.
During the trial Mayella said, “Long’s he keep telling me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take his case his sass, I ain't called upon to take it”(Doc C). During the trial, Mayella was treated a lot better during the case. But on the other hand, for Tom Robinson he was treated unfairly by Mr.Gilmer since he was called “boy” and many other rude names since he was a black man. During the trial, Reverend Sykes said, “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr.Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favour of a colored man over a white man”(Doc D). Given these points, Mayella had a better advantage because of her race since most of the county and people were racist. Also it would be very rare for Tom to win since most of the jurors judged off from race instead of actual facts and reasoning.
In the 1930’s, turmoil has erupted in Maycomb, Alabama all because the young lady Mayella Ewell has accused African-American Tom Robinson of raping and sexually assaulting her. Yet, Mayella Ewell has no power because of her race, class, and gender. At the time, Maycomb, Alabama was at the peak of segregation against African-Americans. Mayella Ewell may be white, but that does not mean her class, gender, nor her race give her power.
Mayella may be white, but in her role as a female, it just goes downhill from that. Although it is different from Tom Robinson's point of view. Atticus delivers his closing argument after proving that Bob Ewell is left-handed and Tom Robinson is not able to use his left hand. ‘“.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.’”.
To some it is very unclear whether Mayella is powerful or powerless. In the book to To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a family tries to defend a ‘Mockingbird’ who is being charged with crimes of rape. The book ironically takes place in the mid 1930s after similar events have just recently happened relating to blacks vs. whites. While Mayella Ewell can be considered as powerful based on her race, her class and gender indicates that Mayella is powerless based on the circumstances during the mid 1930s.
Let us put each other in the shoes of the jury, friends, and family observing in on a discrimination case. Jem and Scout the son and daughter of a lawyer named Atticus Finch get a taste of what the real world is like when, Tom Robinson a poor black man who is married and has kids is falsely accused of raping and assaulting a white woman named Mayella. Mayella Ewell is a young girl considered to be “white trash” who is all by herself to take on the role raising her little siblings while her father Bob Ewell, who is an alcoholic, abuses her. The question arises, is Mayella Ewell Powerful? Mayella Ewell is powerful in this discrimination case because of her race as white woman, her higher class than Tom Robinson, and her gender as a female.
During the Tom Robinson Trial, Mayella is called up to the chair, asked a few questions and after she has had enough, she screams, "I got somethin ' to say an ' then I ain 't gonna say no more. That nigger yonder took advantage of me an ' if you fine fancy gentlemen don 't wanta do nothin ' about it then you 're all yellow stinkin ' cowards, stinkin ' cowards, the lot of you. Your fancy airs don 't come to nothin '—your ma 'amin ' and Miss Mayellerin ' don 't come to nothin ', Mr. Finch-" (She is scared of the town knowing that she is wrong and Tom robinson is innocent. Mayella uses this case to cover up the shame in her life because she is extremely lonely, has no self-esteem, and overwhelmed with the amount of unhappiness in her life. Mayella gets extremely defensive in this quote because she knows that everything Atticus has brung up is good evidence and she can’t hold her own. In the jury, it was full of all white men. Mayella acted timid and helpless and suggested in her comment that the man of the jury be brave and heroic. She becomes someone who is vulnerable, valuable and needs to be
In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a small town in Alabama exemplifies one of the many towns that has clearly defined social classes. Some of these stereotypes are determined by one’s class, nationality, and gender, and the authority that people believe they may possess, which leads to conflict. During the 1930’s in the south, Mayella Ewell’s gender and class did not provide her with a voice. However, her skin color outshone her disadvantages, and allowed her to be highly respected, and this also gave her power over all black people. Due to Mayella’s white race, she was able to have an influence over a majority of her neighbors, and her class and gender did not matter in most scenarios,
While Atticus understood this, the rest of Maycomb chose to stereotype the entire black community as people they had to distrust. Atticus also respected Mayella Ewell even though she was his opposition and referred to her as "Miss Mayella". Evidently, Mayella had not received that kind of politeness before, as she thought that Atticus was trying to "sass" her. At this point, the author is using language to show that Atticus has no prejudice in him. The author also creates a contrast for the reader to consider.
Many people can dispute whether Mayella Ewell is powerful or not. Some people preserver Mayella as an impotent figure because of her indigent status. While other people believe Mayella is a Strong and influential person because of her white womanhood. Mayella Ewell testifies Tom Robison a Black man of illegibly raping her, he was wrongfully found guilty. Since the book takes place in the 1930s segregation plays a big role in this court case. The white jury discriminates against Tom Robinson, showing no mercy even though the evidence clearly states he is innocent. Does this mean Mayella has authority? Mayella exhibits her sovereignty through her testimony, social code and guilt. Mayella`s selfish decision resulted in a horrifying repercussion for Tom Robinson.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee includes many contrasting perspectives that provide an understanding into each character’s attitude as well as what was anticipated of people at the time. The book is the story of a young girl, Jean Louise, her father, Atticus and brother, Jem, in a small town called Maycomb, which is racially segregated during the time of the great depression. As Jean Louise, otherwise known by her nickname Scout, reflects on her childhood with her brother, Jem, the reader is able to see and hear the story as she relives the events in her memory. Scout tells the story around the time she was almost six years old, and she is living with her ten year old brother, Jem, and her father Atticus, “the lawyer who defends Tom Robinson” (Saney). The quarrels between characters regarding racial oppression and gender roles throughout the novel cause tension and uproar in the town, as each person has their own perspective on a situation. The novel opens with Jean Louise reflecting on past events with her brother Jem, and it leads into the first perspective of a child against the adult perspective.
Since Mayella is white her dirtiness is a lot more amplified. African Americans at that time were depicted to be the dirty ones. So when Mayella walks out of her house looking dirtier than them, people around her talk. Her whole community has standards of how your suppose to act, and look. Mayella Ewell fits none of those standards, which is completely out of her control. The way she acts towards people whom meet these standards says a lot about her character. When in court she says “you keep on makin’ fun o ' me.”(Lee, Harper, To Kill a Mockingbird) When really her prosecutor was only being polite. It is not her fault she misunderstood the man, and it only makes her look worse since she is a white woman. Her community would expect a colored person to be uneducated in that matter, but Mayella being the race she is should have known better. She could not help the family she was born into. In the end the court rules in her favor against the African American, but even that doesn 't mean she is powerful. Sure she has power in that instance, but any other
“‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail---’” (Lee 164). To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, takes place in a settled town called Maycomb in Alabama. It is based during the early 1930’s when the Great Depression hit. Poverty reaches everyone from families like the Finches to the “white trash” Ewells. Soon the settled town Maycomb gets into conflict characterized by poverty, racism, and domestic violence.
Jill McCorkle's Ferris Beach, a contemporary novel, shares numerous characteristics with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written in the 1960's. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, McCorkle's novel documents the life of a young girl in a small southern town. The two narrators, Kate Burns and Scout Finch, endure difficult encounters. A study of these main characters reveals the parallels and differences of the two novels. Jill McCorkle duplicates character similarities and rape from Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to show the reader how young girls think and develop.
Mayella, the woman defending against Robinson, comes from a low income and low educated family, making them a poor family. Yet Mayella’s word is still favored against Tom because she still holds a higher social status than Tom just because she is white. In fact, in the novel, Atticus has an important quote regarding the court system that is still true today, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.” (Lee, H. (1960). To kill a mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott. pg. 251-252).