Mayella Ewell is an abused young woman in Maycomb, Alabama who accused an African American man Tom Robinson of rape during the Great Depression in the early 1930’s. Mayella took advantage of the Jim Crow laws so she could end the mental and physical abuse her father caused. Since Mayella is white and female, she has power. Although she lives behind a dumpster this still provides a significant amount of power for her. In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” Harper Lee shows Mayella’s power for class during the trial. Even though Mayella has less power in class than race in gender it is still a significant amount to help her. “Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her….”“DBQ: Is Mayella powerful?” IL, Evanston, 2013) in this quote it shows that when …show more content…
Whites were preferred over African Americans in this time period. So even though Tom did not rape Mayella he would still be executed because he was still in Mayella’s house which was breaking the Jim Crow Laws which were heavily enforced at the time. “...all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…” (“DBQ: Is Mayella powerful?” IL, Evanston, 2013)In the quote it shows that white males thought that African Americans were going to take their women and that they were not to be trusted because they all lie. Mayella had power in this because even though Tom did not do it in the courtroom, they saw his race and made the “evil assumption” that he would lie about it. Class, race and gender all have an important role in Mayella’s power.Her gender, and race helped her positively, class on the other hand still had power just less than the others. Mayella had enough power to accuse Tom Robinson of rape which ended in her father and Tom both being killed. Therefore, Mayella is in fact powerful.
Mayella Ewell is an abused young woman in Maycomb, Alabama who accused an African American man Tom Robinson of rape during the Great Depression in the early 1930’s. Mayella took advantage of the Jim Crow laws so she could end the mental and physical abuse her father caused. Since Mayella is white and female, she has power. Although she lives behind a dumpster this still provides a significant amount of
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.
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
Is Mayella powerful in race? She is white, with a white jury, and in a room mostly filled with white people, and no matter what, they will always go in her favor when she is up against Tom Robinson. Mayella tried to seduce Tom so he will convict of rape. In Document D, Mr. Glimmer and Tom were talking, “‘ Like I say before, it weren’t safe… to be in a-fix like that.’ ‘But you weren’t in a fix-you testified that you were
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella is powerful based on class, gender, and race. The book shows us how she does have power, and gives supporting evidence. In this time period, in a small racist Southern community during the 1930’s, all of the categories listed are very important and contributes a lot to a person. Each category has its own reasoning why Mayella is powerful. Mayella has much more power than the other person in their situation, because of all of the listed evidence. Mayella is in a trial up against a black male, Tom Robinson, who she accused of trying to rape her. They were also caught by Mr. Ewell, Mayella's father. Therefore, Tom Robinson has little to no chance of winning the case based off class, gender, and race especially during this time period.
In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, a young white woman from Maycomb, Alabama, named Mayella Ewell is charging Tom Robinson a black man of rape. Mayella Ewell is not powerful in the sense that she is classified within class, race, and gender.
In Maycomb, Alabama, Mayella Ewell accused an African American man, Tom Robinson with allegations of rape. Mayella was powerful back in the 1930 because of the Jim crow laws, considering that she was a white woman. Although Mayella was so poor that she lived behind the town dump. Mayella was just about as poor as the African Americans, it quotes “White people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among the pigs.” ("DBQ: Is Mayella Powerful?" 21). That explains that Mayella could not afford to live and also have many of the things she wanted. On the other hand, Mayella was an white woman going to court against an African American man.
In conclusion, Mayella does not have power. Mayella only gains the small amount of power she has from her race. With her being a woman decreases her power, sad well as with her class. Mayella lives in the very lowest class you can be. In conclusion, Mayella does not have power because her gender and class over rule her
“Does Mayella have power or not and why”. The small town of Maycomb Alabama turned upside down when a young lady by the name of Mayella Ewell uses her class, race, and gender to try and gain power and escape her situation. Although she failed to gain power she makes a scene and is noticed in the small town of maycomb when she is her father catches her with tom robinson who says he was trying to help her with chores is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Mayella Ewell if a white female in the early 1930’s during this time women did not have the rights that they do so today. Her being white and being so poor that even the negros shunned her meant that they though lesser of her than themselves which in a white dominated society in the early 1900s took away any power that her race could have given her .Tom
The only thing Tom did was helping Mayella when she asked for it. Mayella accused him of rape and she won, thanks to her race. Since she was white and had more power, her race made the judge and jury take her side. She controlled Tom’s life by accusing him and sending him to jail, which eventually led to his escape and death. She also controlled the judges by using her race as an advantage that no black man wants to deal with.
Mayella Ewell had the chance to put the real rapist to prison, but instead she backed him up and now she has to live with him and with that decision the rest of her life. Tom was at the witness stand when Atticus asked him about Mr. Ewell said: “Tom Robinson shut his eyes tight. “ He says you goddamn whore, I’ll kill ya””(Document B). Mr. Ewell has complete power over his Mayella and this exhibits how he has power over her.
In 1930’s Maycomb Alabama, a young woman is stirring up a sleepy town by accusing an African American man of rape. Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman has wrongly accused Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting her in her own home. Her testimony, as well as her fathers’, have gaping holes in them. Their stories do not coincide, and it is even implied that Mayella’s father may have been sexually abusing her.(DBQ Mayella page 15 Chapters 18 and 20) The lack of sufficient evidence and Tom Robinson’s claim that Mayella had made advances toward him should have been enough for the jury to find Tom not guilty, but unfortunately, that was not the case. Instead, the jury believed Mayella’s deceitful testimony, and Tom was sent to jail, which ultimately led to his death. Mayella used her position in society to manipulate the court, and dispose of the only evidence of her mistake. Mayella Ewell is powerful as defined by class, gender, and especially race.
This paper is about Mayella and her power, her race is white, her class, she is poor and her gender is a female, this paper is to find if Mayella is powerful or not. Mayella is a lonely person, and she really get along with anyone. Mayella accused some people that she was hurt or threatened by them, Mayella tells a lot of lies and makes up a story of “happened.” Mayella was a lonely person but she never changed anything about it so now she is in court accusing someone of threatening her. This is about Mayella and how she has power in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird Mayella is a character in the book, she is a poor white female with no friends, and she is the one accused Tom Robinson of rape. Mayella is not powerful
In Harper Lee’s novel: To Kill A Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell does not have power because of her gender and lack of class power. Even though some may say Mayella is powerful because of her race, that is not true. Just because Mayella is white, does not mean she is powerful because being a woman set a certain expectation for how she should act: “She should be courteous and kind to everyone. And she should learn the art of listening as well as the art of conversation” (Document IV).
Mayella Ewell is often mentally, physically, and sexually abused by her father Bob Ewell. Even though Mayella takes care of her siblings each day, she is lonely most of the time, considering nobody wants to be around her. Her father abuses her and beats her often, and Mayella wants the abuse to come to an end. Mayella comes up with and fulfills a plan to end the abuse coming from her father. Her plan involved a Negro man named Tom Robinson. Mayella accuses Tom of beating and raping her, and brings Tom to court, and goes up against him in a trial. Her plan was successful and came out in her favor because she was manipulative, and she knew what it took to win the trial. Mayella Ewell, a poor, white woman, who lives on a dump, is seen as
(“DBQ: Is Mayella Ewell Powerful?” 7). The Jim Crow Laws made Mayella’s accusation of Tom raping her even worse.