Mayella Ewell Innocence

No individual can decide which family they are born into or the way their life begins to unfold itself. Some people are blessed with the perfect kin while others are not so fortunate. In a lot of cases, children are a raised to become a replica of their parents, this being none of the child’s blame. In To Kill A Mockingbird this type of scenario is depicted multiple times with the Finches, Cunningham's and the Ewell’s. Bob Ewell, specifically, has a large influence over Mayella Ewell being the source of the accusation against Tom Robinson. The true killer of innocence and the mockingbird symbol is Bob Ewell, the father of the so-called victim, Mayella Ewell.

The author portrays Mayella Ewell as a symbol of ignorant innocence warped into an

outlet of evil, specifically the strain of racism, taught and developed by her father. She is the victim of horrible and abusive influence. Her character development and testimony truly show the importance of family authority in the book; especially when Atticus begins to cross examine her on the witness stand, her weak character begins to shed light on the lies her father installed in her head. Not only is her memory foggy due to the strenuous abuse, enforced by her own dad, but she also lies: “No answer. ‘What did your father see in the window, the crime of rape or the best defense to it? Why don’t you tell the truth, child, didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up?.’” (Lee 187). As her testimony continues, it is self-evident that Mayella is not being fully truthful and her father emotionally, physically and sexually exploits her. Mayella is forced to keep her and her father’s secret under safe keeping, but some of her accounts and questioning creates an image on the raw ways of Bob Ewell and the keeping of his family. “‘Do you love your Father, Miss Mayella?’ was his next. ‘Love him, watcha mean?’ ‘I mean, is he good to you, is he easy to get along with?’ ‘He does tollable, ‘cept when--’ ‘Except when?’ Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat up straight and waited for her to answer.” (Lee 183). Through slight inconsistencies and small actions as her time of the witness, it is easy to tell that Mayella knows her father’s wrongdoing and that she is being used for his evil purposes.
Mr.

Ewell’s sly and overly confident account of the event only provides more affirmation to the idea of him using his own daughter for his racist and destructive purposes. He pinpoints his own evils onto Tom Robinson, even things that would be physically impossible. A large piece of evidence is the fact that Mayella’s left eye is swollen, while Tom Robinson’s right arm is completely disabled. He still tries to argue with the idea that just because Tom was black he took advantage of Mayella; “Mr. Ewell could’ve beaten up Mayella… if her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show a left handed person did it” (Lee 178). Atticus made sure the whole community knew the beating scars left on Mayella’s face were strictly from her own father. He keenly exhibited Mr. Ewell’s dominance of his right hand, thereover making it the perfect strike to his own daughter’s face. Along with this, Atticus also utilizes the fact that no one went to retrieve a doctor; he demonstrates that any caring family member would do the simple thing of getting medical help. “‘Did you, during all this running, run for a doctor?’ (Lee 175). Mr. Ewell argues there was no need for a doctor because he had seen who caused Mayella’s injuries. Though his testimony is clearly not the truth, Atticus portrays it would still make sense to seek a doctor in any situation of the sort. Nevertheless, Mr. Ewell is more steadfast in his testimony than Mayella, he still

unwillingly hints at the dishonesty of his family and his own evils.
For racially naive ears, Tom Robinson’s testimony speaks truth, the only candid and sincere testimony communicated in the courtroom that day.

On account of his blamelessness, Mr. Robinson’s testimony completely contradicts both the Ewell’s. To commence Tom’s testimony, Atticus sets the background of his life, making Tom Robinson out to be one of the most quality of mankind. Unsuitably, some cannot fathom any type of black man to be this type of human. Unfortunately, his statement also supports the idea of an abusive and negligent father, being Mr. Ewell. Tom Robinson gives the raw and unrestrained story, bringing in fresh and clearer ideas of the Ewell household and the abuse confined in the walls. One of the most chilling quotes Tom gives the jury that Mayella said is truly vile on her father’s part, “‘She reached up an’ kissed me on the side of th’ face. She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a nigger. She says what her papa do don’t count.” (Lee 194). Consequently, Mayella implies her father sexually abuses her. She also shows she is completely desperate, for not only some type of love, but also for reassurance. Mr. Robinson gives more of this effect when speaking about what Mr. Ewell said to his own daughter, “He shut his eyes tight. ‘He says you goddamn whore, I’ll kill you.” (Lee 194). These terrifying words meant only for Mayella, prove her father’s rage and mistreatment towards her. Overall, he shows no promise or content towards his

own daughter. Additionally, he also communicates his awareness of his violence through Tom’s testimony; regrettably still not enough for the jury.
Throughout Maycomb county it is well known that the Ewells are plainly trash. They are nothing compared to any other family in Maycomb; this certainly pertaining to three generations and for any more that come after them. In fact, Maycomb gives them special privileges, because they know they will amount to nothing and only need to just survive. These include hunting during the off season and more importantly, not coming to school; simultaneously education is valued in Maycomb. For instance, when a new teacher experiences her first day with a Ewell child she is shocked by the reality of the town’s normal function, trying to incorporate the Ewell family. “The boy stood up. He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark gray, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick.” (Lee 27). Just by his mere looks, everyone, minus the teacher, identified him as a Ewell. Subsequently, his description could profile the Ewell’s homelife. Not only was the teacher astonished by his appearance, but also his disobedience and his family’s way of operating, “‘They come first day every year and then leave..” (Lee 27). Furthermore, she was not used to this type of low life child who truly knew his place. However, because of this, the Ewell child made sure she knew her own, “‘Report and be damned to ye! Ain’t no snot nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c’n make me do nothin! You ain’t makin’ me go nowhere missus. You just remember that, you ain’t makin’ me go nowhere!’” (Lee 28). Though the children were completely unfazed, Miss Caroline, on the other hand, was totally staggered. Overall, the whole town of Maycomb knew the Ewells were a waste of human life and always would be. It would be extremely difficult for a town of people, to deny that Bob Ewell took no care of his children, and in fact abused them, this being the easiest knowledge to know of Maycomb.