Mayella Character Analysis Essay

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (page 39) Mayella Ewell, a young white girl, daughter to a drunk father, is hard to understand until you “climb into her skin.” Mayella is viewed very differently on her “outside” than the way she truly is on the “inside.” Additionally Mayella plays an important role in displaying the idea of treating others differently and discriminating a specific group of people.
Poor, lazy, and unwilling are all words that many townspeople would use to describe Mayella’s outside appearance. Initially, the only information stated in the story about Mayella is that she is nineteen and a half years old and the

daughter of Bob Ewell. She is the oldest of eight children. “Nobody was quite sure how many children were on the place. Some people said six, others said nine; there were always several dirty-faced ones at the windows when anyone passed by.” (page 228) In the town of Maycomb the Ewells are looked upon as the lowest of the low. They have no money and no education. What makes the Ewell’s different from other poor families such as the Cunninghams, though, is that the Cunninghams are much nicer and will only accept money from someone if they know they will be able to repay their debt. “He [Bob Ewell] was the only man I ever heard of who was fired from the WPA for laziness.” (page 332) The Ewells do not care or try to change their poor situation. Unfortunately for Mayella, she is labeled with this attitude when nobody really ever takes the time to meet her. “She seemed somehow fragile-looking, but when she sat facing us in the witness chair she became what she was, a thick-bodied girl accustomed to strenuous labor” (page 239). This is describing what people thought of Mayella right after she took the oath in court and sat down. It shows that although she may seem fragile and innocent, she works hard doing labor at the Ewell’s home.
People are too quick to judge a person “by their cover.” Mayella is no exception to this, and Maycomb does not realize that Mayella is just a misunderstood girl.

“Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson, had Miss Maudie deigned to permit a geranium on her premises. People said they were Mayella Ewell’s" (page 228). Despite the poor qualities of the Ewells, Mayella proves that she strives to be the better person when compared to the rest of her family. The way Mayella acts and her innocence to her father’s wrath show that Mayella has a good heart. Although living in her family’s situation she does not have the resources to better her life. She suffers from her father’s beatings and threats. Many people in the trial of Tom Robinson realize that Mayella lied to the court because she feared what her father would do to her. Additionally, living as a Ewell has given Mayella a very lonely life. “The witness [Mayella] frowned as if puzzled. “Friends?” (page 245) When Tom came over each day Mayella felt less lonely and eventually she went as far as kissing him. When viewed from the “inside” Mayella can be described as sweet, caring, and

misunderstood.

Mayella plays an important role in showing how people react based on something so minor like a person’s skin color. During the 1930’s many still viewed people with black skin as a much lower class and didn’t deem fair treatment. After reading the results of the trial it is clear that Tom Robinson was charged solely because of the color of his skin. Mayella plays the role of linking the lives of a white family and a black family. She did the unimaginable for a white family; she kissed a black man. When she kissed Tom Robinson the only thing she cared about was the feeling of being with someone. The witness swallowed hard. “She reached up an‘ kissed me ’side of th‘ face. She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a nigger.” (page 260) She knew that it made no difference whether a person’s skin was black or white, she just wanted to be with someone. If Mayella had not kissed Tom, then the full extent of the Town’s bias would not have been shown.
Mayella appears very different on the outside and the inside. Ultimately, she is viewed negatively from most people but on the inside is very lonely and sad. She is important in illustrating the idea of treating others differently based on appearance. This idea shows during the trial when Tom Robinson loses to the Ewells.