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Racial discrimination in the united states criminal justice system
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Mayella Ewell’s Lack of Power Mayella Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of raping her. Although she is pressing charges, she has very little power in this situation. Race had a huge impact on power in the 1930’s. White people garnered more power and respect than black people in society in this time, which also extended to the court of law. However, race was the only aspect that Mayella had going for her. Although Mayella was white, she was poor and women did not get a lot of respect back in this time period. Mayella had the power to change Tom’s life, but not enough to change her own. Although Mayella Ewell was white, she still had very little power and influence on herself and others. Mayella Ewell is far from being a polite, white, girl. At this time, Lillia Eichler wrote a book on social conduct. She wrote about the desired feminine behavior and mentioned that “Politeness and courtesy are two other important virtues that the young girl should …show more content…
At the beginning of the trial, Scout was describing the Ewell’s house and she said that, “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin” (Lee A). The Ewell’s were so poor that they lived in a dump. The house used to have a black person live there before her which further contributes to her social status of being poor. Atticus was questioning Mayella during the trial, and he offended her by calling her ma’am. She replied, “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin‘ me” (Lee C). Mayella is not used to being referred to as “ma’am,” in fact she has probably never been referred to as “ma’am” prior to this in her entire life. Nobody respects her enough to call her that. The Ewell family has very little money, which affects what people think about her and further contributes to her perceived level of power in this
Is Mayella Ewell powerful?That is the question that is asked and must be answered.Throughout the story” To kill a mockingbird” Mayella shows some glimpses of power, but not enough to say she is powerful.For example, in the beginning she shows that she cannot even control her home life so how can she be powerful.Also she shows that she is just too poor for her to have power.Now in the next three paragraphs I will explain my thinking on why I believe Mayella is not powerful.
During the 1930’s, there was this evil assumption that Atticus draws attention to which is that “....all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…”( Harper Lee TKAM 273). With that in the minds of all the townspeople, Mayella being a “helpless” female amongst the lowest of the low gave her continuous power in the case against Tom Robinson. Moreover, being a female prompted the town to want to protect Mayella even more. The white to black ratio was unwavering in the 1930’s. Even though white people look down upon her, when it came time for Mayella’s case against Tom Robinson her class was disregarded and her race and gender trumped all.
“You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” said by Atticus Finch. This quote explains how a person can be different in the inside than they are in the outside such as, a character named Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird was a book set during the 1930’s, written by Harper Lee that explained the struggles of segregation and racism. But was Mayella’s race the only aspect that made her powerful? Although Mayella can be seen as a powerful character due to her race, the areas she lacked in was her social class and gender. The concepts that will be explained will be why Mayella Ewell was not powerful because of her social class
“...Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean, and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard.” (Lee, Chapter 18). Mayella Ewell and her family were very low on the class scale. They lived in a filthy house by the town dump and everyone thought of them as a trashy family. This quote from To Kill A Mockingbird is taking place during the trial of Tom Robinson. Bob Ewell still looks as filthy as usual but Mayella has attempted to keep herself clean because she wants people to look at her differently. Mayella does not want people to compare her to her father. Her father is a slob, filthy, rude, and a trashy man and Mayella wants a better life that that.
Mayella Ewell lived in a racist southern community in the 1930’s. During this time, no one was treated the same because of their skin color or if they were intelligent. Mayella has one thing that makes her powerful, her race. Laws back then were harsh. Between white and black, both were wrong and mean to each other.
Mayella (white), goes to court against Tom Robinson (African American), where Mayella is accusing Tom Robinson of rape. When Atticus asks Mayella questions, Atticus mishears Mayella. An example of Mayella’s lack of power is when Atticus closes his argument by describing Mayella’s injuries during the court case. “Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left.”
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.
While the novel does take place post-Civil War, racism is still an ever-present factor in America. Slurs such as “nigger” or “negro” are apart of the common vocabulary, such as when Cecil Jacobs says, “That nigger ought to hang from the water tank!” (102). Since the black community is looked down upon, kissing Tom was one of the worst decisions she could make in the public eye. As Atticus explains, “She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man … No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards” (272). Even in the judicial system which, by definition, is supposed to serve justice, has the odds stacked against African-Americans. When Atticus expounds upon this unjust bias he says, “When it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins” (295), rendering Tom Robinson’s trial practically useless. Because of the southern biases against the African American community, Mayella would be ostracized and shunned by society had she revealed her true actions. Everyone strives for acceptance, and will go to many extremes to achieve it, even at the expense of another. Therefore, one must give Mayella sympathy as she was only following her instincts as a
One of the storylines in the novel is the Robinson-Ewell trial. Tom Robinson is an innocent African-American, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a lower-class white girl. At the trial hearing, everyone is able to tell his or her side of the story before Tom is allowed to speak. All stories, however, offer two different versions of Tom and Mayella’s relationship. Moreover, Mayella and Bob Ewell tell the jury what they expect to hear, about Tom being a monster. They explain that there was no reason for his actions against Mayella. According to them, along with the rest of Maycomb, it's just expected that a black man would rape any white woman if he had the opportunity. The Tom spoken of by the Ewells shows the stereotypes that justify whites to be superior to blacks. However, Tom tells the jury about his innocence. He pr...
One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.
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.
Since Mayella is white, her dirtiness is a lot more amplified. African Americans at that time were depicted as 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 you are supposed to act, and look. Mayella Ewell fits none of those standards, which is completely out of her control.
Dear Diary, Maycomb is in uproar. You know I’m not the type of fella to be knowin’ bout the latest gossip, but even I've heard it. I think it was Stephanie Crawford i heard, ‘least thats what the person with ‘er called her. She seems like a right gossip. Anyhow I heard her talkin’ bout some upset bout a trial. She said it twas a black man accused of rape by Ewell’s gal Mayella. She also said the black man, To...
Is Mayella Ewell Powerful is because of Her class, gender, and race?That question can be strongly debated by either powerful or not powerful.As we all know there has to be facts to back your opinion.An example:She is white, another could be that she's a
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).