How Does Mayella Ewell Have Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Mayella Ewell is a nineteen year old woman who lives in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. In a desperate attempt to gain power, she accuses a black man named Tom Robinson of raping her. She is a poor white woman who is abused by her father and is shunned by the rest of Maycomb because of her class. Her class and gender is her shortcoming when it comes to power. She is at a disadvantage even though she is white and being white during this time period was a large bonus towards social standing. Being white meant having the privilege of having the best seats at a diner, being in possession of a better restroom and water fountain and schools meant an easier time living but only if you were white. Mayella’s gender was disadvantageous to her because back then, women socially did not a have a lot of power in decision making. Most women were housewives who rarely left the house other than to buy groceries. Mayella would have some respect given to her by men but only because they wanted to “protect her from the “evil” black men who lived in …show more content…

One could say that she had power because she was white. One could say that her race only hurt her and who she would be around. Mayella being white gave and restricted her power. Being white enabled her to falsely accuse Tom Robinson of raping her and getting him convicted, but being white restricted her from being around the blacks. Mayella is white and poor, which puts her in, one would say, in the middle of the whites with money and the blacks. Even though she was white, other white people would not associate with her because of her lower class. Mayella, after her father being killed, is free from his abysmal parenting skills and go be treated equally elsewhere. “Are you being impudent to me, boy?” (Lee, Chapter 19) This showcases the race difference between the whites and the blacks. While Tom shows Mr. Gilmer respect, Mr Gilmer calls him “boy” and uses a harsh tone of

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