What Is Mayella Ewell's Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Maycomb, Alabama around the 1930’s, the race, class, and gender of people made a big impact on their life and determined their future. A girl named Mayella Ewell, from To Kill A Mockingbird, is a great example of this situation. Tom Robinson was an African American that was accused of raping Mayella. Her powers were based on her race, class, and gender. Her race was her strongest advantage towards her power. On the other hand, her gender and class were her least powers. She was a white, poor female that lived behind a trash dump. All of these characteristics played an important part in Mayella’s life and determined if she held powers or not.

Mayella’s race was her strongest advantage towards holding any power. First of all, Mayella was the only white woman that lived in an all black community in Maycomb, Alabama. During this time, the Jim Crow Laws were in effect. In Maryland, they stated “Any white woman who shall suffer or permit herself to be got with child by a Negro or mulatto...shall be sentenced to the penitentiary for not less than eighteen months.” Also, in Georgia, they stated “No colored barber shall serve as a

barber to white women or girls.” Just by these two laws, it states that black men cannot do anything to a white women. So therefore, Mayella holds some power because she is white. In the Background Essay, it says “Because white women are not supposed to make advances on black men, Mayella’s actions are dangerous, and she attempts to cover them up.” Mayella tried to cover up her actions and lies so that Tom Robinson would suffer. Just like it said in the Background Essay, this is how Mayella won in court.
Next, Mayella holds little power when it comes to gender. During this time in Maycomb, Alabama, if you were white, you had all the power you needed. If you were black, you did not hold any power at all. She was female, which gave her less power, but being a white female helped her gain a more power. The gender of a person was just not if they were female or male; it was also the roles and behaviors the society expected from you based on the Background Essay. In Document D, section three, it stated “The Ewells have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court….confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…” This quote helps prove that black men has no power, but on the other hand white women had more power than black men.

Lastly, Mayella’s class is at the very bottom towards having any power.

She lived in an old, decayed house behind a trash dump. In Document A, section one, it says “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin…” Also in Document A, it describes what the outside of her house looks like. For example, it says “Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls...What passed for a fence was bits of tree-limbs, broomsticks and tool shafts...Enclosed by this barricade was a dirty yard…” By reading this quote, it shows how poorly Mayella lives. During this time, The Great Depression was also taking place. It caused people to live poorly, no places to live, and no jobs to be found. Overall, Mayella did not hold any power because she was the poorest of the poor, just like it declared in the Background

Essay.
In conclusion, I think even though Mayella might hold some power due to her race and gender, she does not when it comes to her class.