Mayella Ewell Trial

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents readers with the following dilemma, “how does one define a mockingbird and which characters can adequately be argued as being one?” The definition of a mockingbird, albeit not the only, is investigated towards the beginning of the novel. Atticus Finch explains the inherent goodness of a mockingbird when he says, “mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, they don’t nest on corncribs; they don’t do one thing but sing their heart out for us” (Lee 93). If one assumes what Atticus says is true, then one can say that to be a mockingbird, one must do no harm. The characters Atticus and Mayella are popular characters to debate over their

Her circumstances are terrible in every way and there is no doubt that they help shape her actions. But her actions are inexcusable. Her lack of authenticity is revealed the moment she steps into the courtroom. She cries while continuing to incriminate a black man who did no wrong for the rape and abuse she received from her father. Mayella walked into the courtroom, aware of the impact her words had. She was aware of the fact that not only could Tom Robinson be hung but that if she continued her assault on him that he would die by her hands. The fate was no surprise to her, and yet she shoved what little humanity she had left to the side and proceeded. Her first choice wasn’t even final., she was asked multiple times while in court to re-explain and yet every time she chose to take the noose and place it over Tom’s head, tightening it a little more every time she was asked. Mayella was caught off guard with the first few questions Atticus asked but as the trial went on, she gained confidence in her incrimination of Tom. Her actions decided her mockingbird status, no one else. Circumstances can be as terrible as hell itself, but it doesn’t excuse putting the barrel of a gun to an innocent man’s head just to save face. Therefore, Mayella Ewell marks herself a non-mockingbird, because

Throughout the novel, Scout is pressured to conform to the tight holds that their society places on young women. It is said that a bystander is just as guilty as the bully, and in Atticus’ circumstances, he is the bystander and society is the bully. Instances of Scout as an individual being restricted can be found when her aunt reprimands herself for not wearing a dress or when her uncle Jack pushes her down both figuratively and literally for speaking up and ignored her side of the story because she’s a girl. Not only is Atticus’ act of purposeful interference of what hinders Scouts growth as a young person but absolutely halts any healthy growth of her becoming a young woman. Not only is society softly pushing her into the kitchen and tightening her corset, but Atticus is standing by twiddling his thumbs. His refusal to stand up for Scout, her innocence and girlhood is what is shoving him farther down the Gene-Finny continuum and rendering him mockingbird