Tom Robinson Trial

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

The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is an American classic and has been a staple in high schools for many years. The main storyline that this novel follows is of Scout, a young girl, living in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. It follows the case of Tom Robinson, an African American man, and how he was accused and convicted of rape. In prison, Tom was shot and killed because he was said to have tried to escape. While Mayella is the one who is saying that Tom raped her, the real person who should be to blame is her abusive father. As is quite apparent, Bob Ewell is the person who is most responsible for the death of Tom Robinson.

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

We learned that Mayella was on her front porch at dusk that evening. Her father made her chop a chiffarobe, but she felt like she wasn’t strong enough so she called over Tom Robinson to help her out. She offered him a nickel and when she went to go get the nickel the next thing she remembers was him being on her. Mayella quotes, “ I turned around and ‘fore I knew it he was on me. Just run up behind me, he did” (page 241). Then he had her by her neck and was swearing and calling her dirt. Mayella said that she fought and was screaming but then he hit her again and again. She doesn’t remember too well but she does remember her dad in the room asking her who did it, then she fainted.

Tom Robinson shut his eyes tight. ‘He says yo goddamn whore, I’ll kill ya.” This proves that the courtroom now knew Tom Robinson did not start this situation and that Mayella was the one who kissed him first, but even though they knew this, Tom was still found guilty because he was an African American whereas Mayella was white. This is why the Ewell’s won the trial, merely because of the color of their

Thomas Robinson unmistakably stands out from the rest as a forgiving, honest, and generous man. Tom Robinson displayed radical forgiveness. Mayella and Mr. Ewell both falsely accused Robinson of raping Mayella, causing great distress and misery for Tom. However, Tom Robinson still treated Mr. Ewell and Mayella with respect and refrained from taking any actions of revenge. For example, when asked if Mayella had lied, Robinson replied, “‘I don’t say she’s lyin’, Mr. Gilmer, I say she’s mistaken in her mind.

If Mayella would not have been white, nobody in Maycomb would have really cared about the trial. Mayella received much more respect in court rather than Tom, because Tom’s race was not respected which created bias among the jury and town. Mayella gained power in court because Tom said he felt sorry for her, and in the 1920’s and 1930’s a black man should not feel sorry for a white woman which also ties into class. Overall, when it comes to race, I believe Mayella takes the power here. That time in history lacked respect, fairness and was full of bias.

Tom Robinson was an innocent African American man who was brutally killed after an attempt to escape the prison he was sent to for being accused of raping Mayella Ewell. On August 4 Robinson appeared in trial with Atticus Finch. A white girl, Mayella Ewell, and her father had accused Robinson of raping Miss Ewell. They claimed he had beat her on her face and about her neck. Her right eye had been punched. Mr. Ewell claimed that it was Robinson who punched her but Mr. Ewell is left-handed and Tom does not have a single working muscle in his left arm. It was clear that Mr. Ewell had beat Mayella after catching her kissing a black man. Tom Robinson was not guilty, yet

Her father was abusive, and she had no one to talk to. Every day, she would do all the work around the house, and take care of the children, with no help. Tom was most likely the only person to ever show her kindness and politeness, the only one to ever stop to help her and talk to her. The black people wouldn’t have anything to do with the Ewells because they were white, and the white people wouldn’t have anything to do with them because they lived like pigs, among the blacks. The prejudices other people held towards them was what caused them to act the way they did in the first place. We see that although what Mayella was doing was horrible, she had reasons to do it. She is a victim of social pressures, of prejudice, and the effects these things have on her family.

Tom Robinson has a hard time gaining respect from the jury during the trial against Mayella Ewell. Tom is accused of raping Mayella however, Mayella has no proof of Tom harassing her. Every time one of the

First of all, the character Mayella Ewell is first revealed as the victim in the case against Tom Robinson but in reality she is the victim of loneliness. When Mayella takes the stand, she exposed more about her life at home and the motives behind her

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson becomes one of the most important characters. Beginning in the middle of To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is blamed for the beating that Mayella Ewell received, and is put on trial for supposedly raping her. This causes a lot of conflict between many characters, and is very eye-opening for both the readers and the characters.

During the trial it is obvious that Tom Robinson did not committed this crime. This is proven when they go to trial and see that Mayella did not have very good evidence about the situation. “Mr Ewell wrote on the back of an envelope and looked up complacently to see judge Taylor starring’...”’you're left handed, Mr. Ewell,’said judge Taylor”’(177). This shows that Mr. Ewell was probably the one to hit Mayella on the side of her face because she was struck on the right side and the person to hit her would have to be left handed. Also Mayella lied and said Tom Robinson hit her in the face, but Tom explains how his left arm was cut of in a cotton gin.

During the trial, Tom Robinson states that Mayella’s father does not approve of their interactions: “‘Mr. Ewell yonder hollered through th’ window. [...] He says you goddamn whore, I’ll kill ya.’” (Lee, 260). Atticus is able to see through Mayella’s curtain of lies and “was trying to show, it seemed to [Scout], that Mr. Ewell could have beaten up Mayella.” (238). When Mr. Ewell witnesses his daughter with Tom Robinson, he is so full of rage that he beats her. In his eyes, she betrays him, the white race, and what is believed to be natural order - segregation. Despite this, racism has positive effects for Mayella as the novel progresses. During the trial, she does not have a solid recount of her story. She struggles as Atticus asks the questions: “‘Did you scream first at your father instead of at Tom Robinson?’ [...] ‘Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father?’” (251). Instead of answering, Mayella responds by claiming, “‘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’” (251), before her distress causes her to erupt in tears. All

Then the weight that she has on her shoulders, namely a man's life, would be relieved. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions, especially the ones they are not particularly proud of; it be so much easier if they just got away with it. There is no reason to feel compassion for Mayella Ewell especially under the false pretenses that Tom Robinson was ever abusive toward her fore it is said that, “the state has not produced any evidence that Mayella was ever raped” (70). Mayella was not raped. Her emotional intelligence is extremely low thus she responds to the stressful situation of being rejected as any child would, by projecting her anger onto the other person.