How Much Of The 's Treatment Is Too Trusted More By The Jury Than Tom

Mayella had a great amount of power in the courtroom during the trial of Tom Robinson. This completely classless manipulative woman used the disadvantages she was dealt in life to her benefit. She made advances toward this black man, when he did not reciprocate those feelings she accused him of rape. He is convicted and sent to prison because of her. Through this, she also gains power that removes her from her father’s sexual abuse. He does not want her because of the relations with a

Mayella Ewell is scared of her father and is concerned about her well being during the trial. She is a very nice girl but she has to lie about Tom Robinson so that her father would not beat her over it. She also doesn’t like how Atticus is talking to her because she has never been talked to in a formal way before. During the trial she says, “Love him, whatcha mean?” This shows that she has never been loved by her father, and she is the person that Mr. Ewell can take his anger out on (183). She also repeated everything her father said like they had rehearsed it. Finally, when Atticus starts asking her questions her calls her “ma'am” and “ miss”. So she started to cry and says, “Long’s you keep on makin’ fun o’me” this shows that she has not

Claim #1: This novel educates students about the racism and prejudice that was present in the 1930’s (reword claim) Support #1: Firstly, one of the main types of racism seen in the novel is racism towards black people. Evidence #1: “He stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. ‘—I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!’” **find different quote if possible** Elaboration #1: It is much easier to accuse a black man of committing a crime and have the whole town believe it, rather than a white man. It is Bob Ewell, not Tom Robinson, who had raped Mayella. Mayella does not want to tell the truth because she knows that If her father goes to jail there will be no one to support the family. Also, she is embarrassed of her actions and wishes to protect herself. If she tells the court that she was the one who advanced upon Tom, the people of Maycomb would look down upon her.

This statement is extremely noticeable and it becomes clear as the novel progresses that racism among the white characters is a result of fearfulness and concern for their own interests. Examples of this is apparent where a group of men go to where Tom Robinson is detained, with the intention to beat him up, rationalizing that this is the right thing to do because he “raped” a white woman. This can also be seen when Mayella attempts to reconcile herself with the fact that she will be sending an innocent man to prison by justifying this as being a victim herself, in reference to her social stance in society, her father’s abusiveness towards her and the ridicule she would endure if she told the

As a result of the Ewell’s living behind the Maycomb county dump, Mayella is looked down on. “We’ll convict this Negro but get back to your dump (Doc A).” This quote shows that though Mayella had won the case against Tom Robinson, the Ewells were still thought of as nothing. “White people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes [the Ewell’s nearest neighbors] wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white (Doc E).” Powerful white people looked down on Mayella because she lived in filth; black people would not either because she was white. “Long as he keeps callin’ me Ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella, I don’t hafta take his sass (Doc C).” Mayella is not used to being respected as she is poor and is not treated fairly. This shows how Mayella’s class ties with her power.

Due to Mayella's race she gains power. Mayella is white, living in the 1930's time period. So she will have very little power. The jury will take the side of a white woman over the side of a negro man. This is the only power that Mayella has and uses her race to her advantage in a bad way.

(“DBQ: Is Mayella Ewell Powerful?” 7). The Jim Crow Laws made Mayella’s accusation of Tom raping her even worse.

Just like gender, Mayella has power when it comes to her social class. Throughout the trial, Mayella was always called Ma’am. “I will not answer a word you say, as long as you keep mocking me.” (“DBQ: Is Mayella Powerful?” 17) Mayella was not used to being called Ma’am, which is why she thought that she was being mocked by Atticus. This shows that Mayella is usually not respected by anyone, including her father. In addition with Mayella being called Ma’am, the judge calls Tom Robinson by a certain name, which shows that he is from a lower class. “That old Mr. Gilmer doing him thataway, talking so hateful to him, the way that man called him “boy” all the time and sneered at him.” (“DBQ: Is Mayella Powerful?” 17) When considering the social class factor, Mayella is very powerful. Mayella’s social class gives her power because with her class, she is well respected by others, and especially by Negros. People respect her more than they do Tom Robinson, which gives her an advantage in the trial. At another point in the trial, Tom was asked why he

Mayella Ewell is living in a racist southern community in the 1930’s. During this time no one was treated the same because of their skin color or if they were intelligent. Mayella has one thing that makes her powerful, her race. Laws back then was harsh. Between white and Negroes, both were wrong and mean to each other. Whites had more power than the Negroes because of the history it has behind them. They were not considered to be equal citizens. Atticus even knows the trial should not be happening, he knew the jury was going to side on with Mayella because she’s white. As Atticus is closing his argument he says, “[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…”as said in chapter twenty. Mayella only goes through all of this because of her father.

How powerful is Mayella in certain situations? Mayela is white but she is poor and equal to the other race, but at trial, she is white, with a white jury, and in a building filled with mostly white people. Mayella is poor, lives behind the dump, at a pig farm, and in an abandoned slave cabin. Mayella is a woman, and when she is crying or being assaulted we feel sorry for her and she uses the sympathy as her advantage during the trial. How powerful is Mayella in class, race, and gender?

Mayella is able to lie her way to making Tom look guilty and win the case because of her power against a black man. However, no matter how powerless Mayella was according to her class and gender, her race in a racial society gave her the ability to win the case against Tom. Because of her low class status, Mayella Ewell’s family lives in their “home”, otherwise known as their shack, which is fenced by tree-limbs and broomsticks (Doc A). In an attempt to make their home look beautiful, Mayella decorated their yard with red geraniums. Mayella’s low class status is also shown when she misunderstands “ma’am” as a term of disrespecting her (Doc C) and being ignored by black people and by white people of a higher social class (Doc E).

7). In the 1920s the Jim Crow laws were present (DBQ Project, p.7). Every state had different rules, but in all they restricted the rights of African Americans and even a white woman (DBQ Project, p.7). In Maryland white woman was not allowed to have children with black men. In Georgia black barbers could not do white woman or girl's hair (DBQ Project, p.7). In his testimony, Tom Robinson said that Mayella had tried to kiss him and as he was trying to get away from her, her Dad saw and called her names (Lee, p.260). When asked about why he felt scared Tom stated “Mr. Finch, if you was a n**** like me, you'd be scared, too.”(Lee, p.261) If Mayella was charged as guilty she could have possibly done time in

woman accused a black man of rape.Mayella is a woman and lower class but because she was white it gave her power.

When Atticus asks Mayella ‘who are your friends?’ (p.245) she is perplexed by the question demonstrating to us how she must be ‘the loneliest person in the world’ (p. 256). Furthermore, Lee clearly explains to us she is accustomed to being treated poorly as when Atticus refers to her as ‘ma’am’ and speaks to her politely she believes initially that he is ‘mockin’ me’ (p.243). Reflecting on how Mayella is trapped in her improvised, friendless state with nobody who respects her, we realise it would not have been difficult for her to become fixated on and fantasise about Tom Robinson, as he ‘was probably the only person who was ever decent to her’ (p.257). We are also able to understand why she lies about Tom raping her during the trial when we take into consideration that Mayella is living in fear of what her drunk and abusive father, Bob Ewell, would do to her if she was truthful. As she has already been ‘beaten savagely’ (p.272) and possibly raped by her father, after she ‘kissed a black man’ (p.272), her trepidation is unsurprising. By climbing into Mayella’s skin and walking around in it we see Lee is helping us to learn the importance of considering people’s circumstances before judging their actions.

Mayella Ewell claims on the night of November 21st, she was raped and beaten by an African American man, Tom Robinson. This alleged rape was most certainly false although it was to hide something greater. Mayella’s father would beat her and would molest her. When Mayella stepped up to the podium to defend herself, “she seemed somehow fragile-looking, but… she became what she was, a thick-bodied girl accustomed to strenuous labor”(page 239). This showed Mayella has grown up quickly through the abuse and labor from her father. She has lost the