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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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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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
in a small, yet meaningful way. She gave people the only real way to bring about
To some it is very unclear whether Mayella is powerful or powerless. In the book to To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a family tries to defend a ‘Mockingbird’ who is being charged with crimes of rape. The book ironically takes place in the mid 1930s after similar events have just recently happened relating to blacks vs. whites. While Mayella Ewell can be considered as powerful based on her race, her class and gender indicates that Mayella is powerless based on the circumstances during the mid 1930s.
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.
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.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, this theme of deluding oneself rather than admitting a painful truth is shown through the town of Maycomb itself, Mayella Ewell’s internal and external struggles in dealing with her feelings for Tom Robinson, and how Jem refuses to believe that the world he grew up in turns out to not be what he had imagined.
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.
can in order to help her out. Tom says that he did not beat and rape Mayella, while Bob Ewell
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.
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
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.
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.
takes place in the south, where at the time, slaves were newly emancipated and things are
was raised by an upper-class family who resented her and did not want her, therefore
Whatever it was he was attacking Susanna would comfort him by telling him it was ok to
abuse of her power and knowledge wreaked havoc on many of the girls lives. It is in this way