racism and what it was like in the nineteen-thirties through the trial of Tom Robinson and the only white man that supports him, Atticus Finch. The whole town of Mycomb becomes overwhelmed by a crime that a poor, “white trash” young woman named Mayella Ewell, accuses Tom Robinson, a black field laborer, of committing. This is very similar to the case of the Scottsboro Boys where nine black men were also wrongfully accused of a crime only because of the color of their skin. The fictional story, To
important theme of alienation and unjust treatment. The fight to eliminate it is represented through Atticus’s efforts. In To Kill A Mockingbird alienation is illustrated through the treatment of characters such as Arthur Radley, Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell. Throughout the novel there are countless instances of societal discrimination toward these characters. Intolerance and ignorance in society is the cause of alienation. In Maycomb almost every person alienates Arthur Radley. The reader never
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell goes through a great deal of physiological trauma due to the abuse from her father, Bob Ewell. Mayella, forced by her father, has to testify against that Tom Robinson, a black man, raped and abused her, although it was actually her father who performed the acts. Mayella has to go through her abuse and neglect with no laws protecting her and the psychological effects worsening over time. Because of the abuse, Mayella Ewell will have impaired growth from
innocence. Mayella Ewell is one of the many characters that help to teach readers a contributing theme to the death of innocence. Her characterization appears later in the novel during the Tom Robinson trial. Mayella Ewell comes from a family shunned by all inhabitants of Maycomb, eventually ceding to her feelings of loneliness and powerlessness, and falsely accuses Tom Robinson of raping her after failing to engage in a relationship with a man other than her abusive father, Bob Ewell. Miss Ewell is,
booming again. “Mayella Violet Ewell—!” A young girl walked to the witness stand. As she raised her hand and swore that the evidence she gave would be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help her God, she seemed somehow fragile-looking, but when she sat facing us in the witness chair she became what she was, a thick-bodied girl accustomed to strenuous labor. In Maycomb County, it was easy to tell when someone bathed regularly, as opposed to yearly lavations: Mr. Ewell had a scalded
Tom Robinson, a Negro, represents another mockingbird. He lives a life of simplicity beyond the town dump and attends the same church as the Finch family cook, Calpurnia. Tom regularly assists people in need, especially Mayella Ewell, but he finds himself punished for it. Mayella, a white woman, accuses Tom of rape and abuse, and her father Bob takes this matter to court and uses subterfuge in his testimony. During the trial, Link Deas, Tom’s former employer, announces, "That boy worked for me eight
mockingbird, one must do no harm. The characters Atticus and Mayella are popular characters to debate over their
it's even harder to forget. It is an emotional response that includes understanding, and being touched by the suffering of another. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell is a sympathetic character, because she is lonely, defenseless, and poor. The Ewell children only came to school on the first day each year. Mayella never had any friends because of her school attendance. She had no one her age to talk to and no one to care for her. No one to share her secrets and feelings to. Imagine
Mockingbird this type of scenario is depicted multiple times with the Finches, Cunningham's and the Ewell’s. Bob Ewell, specifically, has a large influence over Mayella Ewell being the source of the accusation against Tom Robinson. The true killer of innocence and the mockingbird symbol is Bob Ewell, the father of the so-called victim, Mayella Ewell. The author portrays Mayella Ewell as a symbol of ignorant innocence warped into an
in the world.” This quotation by Kim Culbertson can relate to the character Mayella Ewell in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Despite her obvious wrongdoings, Mayella Ewell is, in fact, worthy of compassion. Mayella was abused, physically and sexually, by her alcoholic father, despised by the other members of Maycomb, and was extremely lonely. Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, is one of the main reasons Mayella deserves compassion. On page 31, Atticus tells Scout about how Bob treats his