A contemptible young woman set the book, To Kill a Mocking Bird up. Mayella Ewell is a poor
child living with her abusive father, Bob Ewell. The white family lives in the South in the 1930’s behind a
dumpster. Mayella is the main setup for this story, with her careless acts and fearful story. While reading
this book the readers are struck with a very important question, is Mayellla powerful?
Let’s start with her race; Mayella was a white living in the South. Back in the 1930’s whites were
believed to be better than everyone around them, however; Mayella’s situation were a bit different. Her
neighbors were Negros; they did not like Mayella at all. No white or colored person dared to speak to her.
“The colors didn’t want anything
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to do with her because of her skin,” Scout said, “and the whites didn’t want her around because of her neighbors.” Tom Robinson was the only one that was ever really sweet to Mayella was almost the same level as the Negros then.
Just because her skin was a pale color did
not mean she was powerful. She was the lowest of the low, deprived. The Ewells’ had nothing good going
them. The father was abusive toward Mayella and she was abusive toward Tom. She used the colored
man simply to flee from her father. Since Meyella was a white lady she knew Tom could not resist when
she called for his help. This brings us to the next point, her gender.
Even though back in the thirties’ ladies were known to not be as authoritative as the men, they
had a little spark of control. Men are known even today for their caring attitude toward crying ladies.
Mayella could simply call for Tom if she needed help and he would have come, which he did. He said he
felt sorry for her. Tom was helping her with her chores for the soul purpose of feeling pity toward her.
Although this fact does prove that she has power, it is very small. Most people that lived in
Maycomb were repulsed by her. This means that many men would have kept their distance from her. Tom
was the only one that truly cared for her. Mayella abused this and used him to get her father away
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from CitationPage 1 "Get Back to You Dump!" "Class, Gender, and Race in To Kill A Mockingbird: Is Mayella Powerful?" Evanston: DBQ Project. 13. Print "Ma'ma vs.
Boy." "Class, Gender, and Race in To Kill A Mockingbird: Is Mayella Powerful?"
Evanston: DBQ Proect. 17. Print.
"Loneliest Person in the World." "Class, Gender, and Race in To Kill A Mockingbird: Is Mayella
Powerful?" Evanston: DBQ Proect. 21. Print.
her. With this being said it’s clear that she did not use this will power very well and with her living
behind a dumpster many people did not look to her as a well-mannered lady. This leads us to the next
argument, her class.
Now, the Ewells lived behind a trash hemp, in other words they were lower than molding
wrappers and leftover scraps. Their home was once a Nero Camp as Scout described it in the story. Scout
said that the fence surrounding the home was simply made up of odds and ends lying around the yard. By
this description the readers can easily tell that their class is not as high as some people that live in the
In the story, “To Kill a Mockingbird” Atticus, a white male high in class, was questioning
Mayella for the trail of Tom Robison. During this trail Atticus kept calling her ma’ma. The readers could
easily tell she was not use to this because of her reaction. Mayella freaked out and believed that he
was poking fun at her. She thought he was patronizing her. Mayella clearly was not accustomed to being called by a formal name. Overall, one might consider that Mayella is not a powerful person. Seeing how no one really approves her or finds her appealing. She was most likely a very lonely person. With her father abusing her leaving her with unwanted scars, and living behind trash I’m use she felt less powerful than most. People that have read the book may have different options on the matter. They could have different outlooks on the discussion. This is after all, only one reader’s option.
in a small, yet meaningful way. She gave people the only real way to bring about
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.
and whiskey. Bob Ewell beats up on his daughter Mayella, while Tom tries to do all that he
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.”
The town of Maycomb in the 1930's was split into two sections, the white section and the black section. This was a time of racial segregation, where blacks were not permitted to go to the same schools as the whites.
was raised by an upper-class family who resented her and did not want her, therefore
After years of emotional and physical abuse inflicted by her father, Mayella was finally able to control one thing in her life. Having an affair with Tom Robinson, a black man, was an enticingly risky idea to Mayella; in the 1930’s, racism was still alive and especially prominent in the South, so the idea of a white woman being romantically involved with a black man was practically taboo. She was well-aware of the consequences that would come with that interaction when she forced him to kiss her, so when she was caught, she had to blame Tom in order to avoid the shameful truth caused by her years of loneliness and abuse. By the time Mayella reached the stand and swore upon the Bible in court, she had already decided that she had to lie about what had really
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.
Tom pleaded his case. Saying while helping Mayella do chores she grab his legs scaring him, making him anxious, then she hugged his waste and kiss his face. Tom explains she never kissed a grown man. He also remembers Bob from the window threatening her so he fled.
There is no doubt that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a famous novel known for its themes, most of them containing wise life lessons, racial inequality being an obvious and important one. Firstly, racism illustrates the lack of justice and people’s views on prejudice in Tom Robinson’s case. Secondly, the novel touches base on diction notably the racial slurs used. Finally, with racism being a theme of the novel, it affects the characters’ personalities. Harper Lee uses life lessons, diction and characters throughout the novel because it develops the main theme of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Although Mayella Ewell eventually testifies against Tom Robinson on false grounds, her backstory and true nature is innocent, and her “mockingbird” only dies when her father corrupts her. First, when Scout is describing the Ewell’s living condition, the novel states, “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… People said they were Mayella Ewell’s” (Lee 228). Being raised in the conditions that she was, Mayella’s attempts at rectifying her family’s image, even in these small, personal acts, captures the way she wishes to live and how she thinks. Caring for the geraniums and trying to maintain some semblance of cleanliness, especially when compared to the rest of her family, gives the reader
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves of classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for its execution of style and the importance of its content.
Whatever it was he was attacking Susanna would comfort him by telling him it was ok to
takes place in the south, where at the time, slaves were newly emancipated and things are
abuse of her power and knowledge wreaked havoc on many of the girls lives. It is in this way