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Racism in literature
Mayella ewell character analysis
Mayella ewell character analysis
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Is Mayella Powerful? As we go through these documents, we see the highs and lows of Mayella’s power. Power, in other word, means to have control. How much control does Mayella have? Over herself? Her family? Her community? Keep in mind that this takes place in a time where racism was normal. People are also looked upon differently by their class, or social status. Lastly, women are still not equal. This relates to being more dominant by gender. While I analyze these documents, you will pick up the pieces of my answer to “Is Mayella Powerful?”. In Document E- “The loneliest person in world”, we read about Mayella being different than other whites in her community. In the first box, Scout says “white people in her community wouldn’t have anything …show more content…
In the first box, Atticus asks Mayella about her father and how he treats her. You see Mayella try to be strong with her answer, until she slips up. She says “He does tollable, ‘cept when-”. A few lines down, it reads “‘Except when he’s drinking?’ asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded.” Think about this. What could possibly happen when a single father, with a daughter, is an alcoholic? Also, think about the effects alcohol has on people. This isn’t the only thing to notice. Reread the first box but this time, look at Bob’s actions and how they change. “‘He does tollable, ‘cept when-’ ‘Except when?’ Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat straight up and waited for her to answer.” Something is happening between Mayella and her father. Why else would he get so jumpy when hearing about how he treats his daughter, after he’s been drinking? As Mayella messes up her words, her father sprouts right up. He is concerned. “Is she going to say it?” or “You better watch your mouth.” could be his thoughts. Mayella is intimidated by her father. Bob has more power than Mayella in this situation. Now, look at the second box. Tom says “She say she never kissed a grown man before. She says what her papa do to her don’t count.” Mayella has never kissed a grown man before because what her father does to her doesn’t count. Bob Ewell …show more content…
No, I do not believe Mayella is powerful. I have decided this because although she is white, she is equally or even lower than the lowest- the African Americans. With this, she is also treated as one. When relating to gender, Mayella is physically weaker than the opposite sex. Even though she may be mentally stronger, she can not show it in this situation. Lastly, she is in the bottom class of her community. To me, Mayella is one of the weakest people in Maycomb. The only power she has is to use the people around her. Mayella used “the only person who was ever decent to her” in a way that helped her none and got Tom Robinson killed. I understand that this could be considered power, but it wasn’t enough for me to consider her powerful. There are many things that Mayela could have done to have helped her become powerful, or to even be seen as someone to Maycomb. Instead, she tried to do these things while being known as trash, In the end, this gets her nowhere other than putting and African American in jail for false accusation. Mayella is not
Is Mayella Ewell powerful?That is the question that is asked and must be answered.Throughout the story” To kill a mockingbird” Mayella shows some glimpses of power, but not enough to say she is powerful.For example, in the beginning she shows that she cannot even control her home life so how can she be powerful.Also she shows that she is just too poor for her to have power.Now in the next three paragraphs I will explain my thinking on why I believe Mayella is not powerful.
Mayella Ewell is a woman in the 1930’s and yes, women back then were not treated as citizens. As Atticus is delivering his closing argument on how the person who beat Mayella with his left, Tom cannot use his left due to a job accident. By contrasting the difference in race and gender, in the 1930’s these were a big thing, To examine the results of race, gender are way different. Mayella may be white, but in her role as a female, it just goes downhill from that. Although it is different from Tom Robinson point of view. As Atticus is delivering his closing argument after proving that Bob Ewell is left-handed and Tom Robinson is not able to use his left hand. ‘“...What did her father do? We don’t know, but there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left…’”. Tom Robinson is unable to use his left hand due to a job accident. Mayella took advantage of Tom, she knew he would help her because he is a nice man. Mayella was not taught respect while growing up, Tom on the other hand was amiable. Mayella is anxious of her father and what he does to her. Some readers might be anxious too, but might confess up to what their father is doing to them. Since she was not taught respect from her father, she would not know much about it. “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin’ me,’Mayella said.
Atticus questions Mayella very differently compared to the way he questions Bob Ewell. Through Atticus? language we learn that he does sympathise with Mayella and he does realise she is a victim of her father?
Let us put each other in the shoes of the jury, friends, and family observing in on a discrimination case. Jem and Scout the son and daughter of a lawyer named Atticus Finch get a taste of what the real world is like when, Tom Robinson a poor black man who is married and has kids is falsely accused of raping and assaulting a white woman named Mayella. Mayella Ewell is a young girl considered to be “white trash” who is all by herself to take on the role raising her little siblings while her father Bob Ewell, who is an alcoholic, abuses her. The question arises, is Mayella Ewell Powerful? Mayella Ewell is powerful in this discrimination case because of her race as white woman, her higher class than Tom Robinson, and her gender as a female.
During the Tom Robinson Trial, Mayella is called up to the chair, asked a few questions and after she has had enough, she screams, "I got somethin ' to say an ' then I ain 't gonna say no more. That nigger yonder took advantage of me an ' if you fine fancy gentlemen don 't wanta do nothin ' about it then you 're all yellow stinkin ' cowards, stinkin ' cowards, the lot of you. Your fancy airs don 't come to nothin '—your ma 'amin ' and Miss Mayellerin ' don 't come to nothin ', Mr. Finch-" (She is scared of the town knowing that she is wrong and Tom robinson is innocent. Mayella uses this case to cover up the shame in her life because she is extremely lonely, has no self-esteem, and overwhelmed with the amount of unhappiness in her life. Mayella gets extremely defensive in this quote because she knows that everything Atticus has brung up is good evidence and she can’t hold her own. In the jury, it was full of all white men. Mayella acted timid and helpless and suggested in her comment that the man of the jury be brave and heroic. She becomes someone who is vulnerable, valuable and needs to be
One of the things that Atticus says to the people of the court is that “ she tried to put away her evidence of her offence away for her but in this case, she was no child hiding stolen contraband: she struck out her victim of necessity she put him away from her -he must be removed from the presence of the world.” What Atticus is trying to say here is that if Tom was not a black man then this case would not be going on but because he is black there is a case on to prove he really did rape Mayella Ewell. Another thing that Atticus said is that “her father saw it”. What Atticus is trying to say here is that if Bob Ewell saw the rape then why would he not chase after Tom Robinson or call the doctor before he even called the cops. If she had been raped the first thing that Bob should have done would be to call the doctor for the bruises she got during the attack. This case should not even be going on here because both of the people that say that Tom Robinson raped Mayella Ewell where both racist so you can’t really tell if they are really telling the truth about if Tom Robison really do this horrible crime
However, it is understandable that one can argue that Mayella’s two disadvantages trump her one advantage, socially, and make her a less powerful character in the story. Although it can be debated that women were looked at as a minority and class drives a person’s reputation (which can also lead to the amount of power one possesses), this topic’s evidence is irrelevant to the time that this story took place. Maycomb, Alabama was a very small town filled with conservative and stereotypical people who were stuck in their old ways and were very stubborn when it came to changing their ideas. Race was such a social hurdle that no one could overcome, due to it being a physical trait, during the 1930’s. Even if there was a poor, white woman, she would be automatically respected at a higher level than a wealthier black man. If one’s cultural group were to be ignored in this scenario, a wealthier man would have been at a higher advantage compared to a poor woman. However, race played a large role in this society, and during the court case, “(The Ewells had) presented themselves to you gentlemen (the all white jury), 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.”
The man had to have some kind of a comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand’” (23.15) Atticus Finch had exposed the bad men in the community to his children but selflessly found room to feel sorry for Bob because of how he treats his children.
As the reader first encounters Scott, she is found to be influenced by a prestige – honored environment as validated by her behavior towards the low status Cunningham's. People with more money think they are better than those with less money. Maycomb has a hostile and unsympathetic view of people with different colored skin and people who come from families with a low income. If someone in the town is poor, they will be treated differently and be segregated from others. The richer do this to make sure the poor know that they are lower than them. It seems that the poor are not given a chance. Scout accepts this as if it were wholly logical, evidence that she is gullible to the attack of social classes that she regularly faces. This point is strengthened as the story progresses to scouts first day of school. At no...
In the film Scout and her brother Jem, live in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. during the day they playing outside and spying on Boo Radley. There are lots of rumours about Boo because he hasn’t been seen for many years. Their father, Atticus, is a lawyer and believes that all people should be treated equally, and that you should stand up for what’s right. The local judge asks Atticus to defend a black man, Tom Robinson. He has been accused of assault and raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. during Atticus' argument, he points out that Tom doesn't have the use of his left arm, and he would need his left hand in order to assault Mayella. Tom said he feels bad for Mayella, Tom's sympathy for her dooms his case. Atticus arrives home to find out that Tom has been killed when he tried to escape. A short time later, on their way home, Scout and Jem are attacked by an unknown man who has been following them in the woods. Jem is knocked unconscious and Scout escapes unharmed, Scout sees a man carrying Jem home. We learn that the attacker was Bob Ewell, the father of Mayella. The sheriff arrives to report that he has found Bob Ewell dead. Scout notices Boo Radley standing in corner of the room and realizes he is the person who came to help them in the woods. The film ends with Scout considering events from Boo's point of vie...
While watching Atticus during the trial, Scout learned a lot about her father. She learned that he was more than just an ordinary man to the Negroes. He was defending Tom Robinson, which meant a lot to them, because not many white people in the county would do a thing like that. Very few, if any, white men would defend a black man in a trial in a segregated county during the 1930’s. Because of what Atticus did more people, both white and black, gained respect for him. Scout saw that to the neighborhood people, Atticus was a very wise man, and a very good man, also. While Scout was watching from he balcony, she saw her father do something she had never seen. He told Bob Ewell to write his name on a sheet of paper. Scout saw that Bob was left handed, so he couldn’t have beaten up Mayella, because her black eye was on the right side of her face.
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.
“You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” said by Atticus Finch. This quote explains how a person can be different in the inside than they are in the outside such as, a character named Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird was a book set during the 1930’s, written by Harper Lee that explained the struggles of segregation and racism. But was Mayella’s race the only aspect that made her powerful? Although Mayella can be seen as a powerful character due to her race, the areas she lacked in was her social class and gender. The concepts that will be explained will be why Mayella Ewell was not powerful because of her social class
Bob Ewell, after seeing Mayella with Tom Robinson, knows that Tom Robinson has done nothing, and that Mayella is the culprit of this circumstance. However, Bob Ewell makes claims against Tom Robinson because the culture of this society has been formed to
Mayella, the woman defending against Robinson, comes from a low income and low educated family, making them a poor family. Yet Mayella’s word is still favored against Tom because she still holds a higher social status than Tom just because she is white. In fact, in the novel, Atticus has an important quote regarding the court system that is still true today, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.” (Lee, H. (1960). To kill a mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott. pg. 251-252).