Tom Robinson Trial

Lastly, “‘She reached up an’ kissed me ‘side of the’ face. She says she never kissed a grown man before’” (Lee 248). The conviction of an innocent man is the result of Mayella Ewell’s actions. If Mayella Ewell had been telling the truth, without a doubt, her story wouldn’t have changed every time her story contradicted the ones given by the witnesses and even by herself.

Mayella back tracks and changes her story. "No, I don't recollect if he hit me. I... mean...yes! he hit me... he hit me!" (Foot 61) Bob is a drunk, therefore, his testimony cannot be believed. This shows that Mayella could have very well been set up, or told what to say, because she didn't know what to say in the first place, and it also shows that Bob could have been the perpetrator; because he is left-handed, his story is different and, he can't even be trusted with his own kids, so why trust his testimony? Their stories are different so their accusations cannot be trusted fully, another reason that the Tom Robinson case should have never come to

Throughout this journal, it can be assumed that Mr. Ewell lied about his daughter’s attack so his daughter would stay away from Tom Robinson and so he could blame someone other than him for beating his daughter. To begin, Bob Ewell did not want his daughter to be around Tom Robinson for fear of her becoming like Mr. Dolphus Raymond, the man who had children with a black woman. One example of Bob Ewell not wanting Mayella to be the future Mr. Dolphus Raymond is his reaction to her kissing and hugging Tom. In the text it says, “She reached up an’ kissed me ‘side of ‘th face’ … ‘Mr. Ewell yonder hollered through th’ window’ ‘What did he say?’ … ‘He says you goddamn whore, I’ll kill ya” (Lee 260). Mr. Ewell clearly did not approve of Mayella kissing and hugging a black man because he did not want the entire

In Maycomb, a black man named Tom Robinson is on trial for raping beating up Mayella Ewell. From the beginning Mr. Robinson never really received a fair trial. The law states that someone should get a fair trial from a jury of their peers. However, in Maycomb this doesn’t happen. The Courthouse in Maycomb is filled with local white people. Two men say “You know the court appointed him to defend this nigger...Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it”(163). This quote is important because it shows the overall attitude of Maycomb’s white citizens. One critical moment may have shown why the trial wasn’t a fair trial. Atticus proved that Tom Robinson was not involved in the attack. “His left arm was fully 12 inches shorter than his right and hung dead at his side” (186). This represented the physical

Since the beginning of the trial everyone had mixed responses toward this controversy, but about 75% citizen of Maycomb believed Tom Robinson was guilty because he was black. “That n****r totally deserved it” commented Bob Ewell the father of Mayella Ewell. “It's like killing an innocent songbird ya know” said Mr.Underwood about the incident. After all twelve white, racist

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

The whole town of Maycomb is racist, which makes Atticus’s job harder trying to defend Tom Robinson against the word of a white man.Tom Robinson’s case is unjust since he is black and the majority of Maycomb revert to the stereotype that all blacks are immoral and criminals. “Quote” shows that it is a situation where little is possible to do when defending a black man because the town of Maycomb is deeply affected by racism they tend to only make decisions based on the race and so immediately think Tom Robinson is guilty, that he did indeed raped Mayella when there was so much evidence to prove otherwise. This is challenging for Atticus, since he has to persuade everyone to pretend there is no stereotype about blacks and that they are human

Today Mayella Ewell is taking the stand. Once again the events of November twenty-first will be rehearsed by Mayella. Atticus questions why only her father heard her scream. Where were the children? I believe it was no coincidence that the children had been off obtaining ice cream. I maintain that Bob Ewell told the children to go grab ice cream, therefore, he can go beat up Mayella. I may also add he was most likely intoxicated at the time. Atticus is now putting pressure on Mayella. Atticus asks Mayella to admit to the people in the courtroom that no rape had taken place. If no rape had taken place then why was Mayella injured? In my opinion, I believe Mayella is also a compulsive liar. Mayella is covering up the fact that her father is beating

In Maycomb people thought of African-Americans as untrustworthy animals, so the jury convicted him. They decided that Robinson didn’t deserve to live because he was black, and Mayella

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

“What did your father see in the window, the crime of rape or the best defense to it? Why don’t you tell the truth, child, didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up?” (237). This whole passage in the book, shows us how Mr. Ewell has beaten beating his daughter Mayella and how he has kept her from saying anything about it, as inferred by her not answering on multiple occasions.

Mr. Ewell may also be lying because he wants to protect his own social standing. The Ewells already live by the garbage dump, and if Tom were proven innocent, then the family’s social standing would drop considerably. Correspondingly, Mayella may also be inclined to lie. Since her father has previously beaten her, he may have threatened to beat her again if information of her behavior spreads. Not only might her father be embarrassed by her behavior, she is likely to feel the same.

She felt that if something went wrong her side of the story would be believed and she had nothing to lose. Mayella Ewell is not a sympathetic character because she lied in the court of law, she tried to get Tom Robinson killed, and she could have just stood up for herself in court. Mayella lied about the events in which took place at the Ewell family house during the trial for Tom Robinson. Atticus- “Did you ever ask him to come in the fence before?” Mayella- “ I certainly did not.”

Citizens in Maycomb thought of themselves as higher beings due to their skin color and found it offensive when people, like Atticus, stuck up for the colored people. Tom Robinson, being a black man, was basically doomed from the beginning of his trial due to the town being full of prejudice

   The trial of Tom Robinson is central to our understanding of racial and social prejudice in Maycomb. Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson's 'crime' to bring tensions in the town to a head and the author uses the trial as a way of making the ideas behind such tensions explicit for the reader.