Mayella Ewell is a white woman, from Maycomb, Alabama, accusing an African American man named Tom Robinson, of Rape. In To Kill A Mockingbird the Ewell’s are very unfortunate. Mayella would get abused by her father, Bob Ewell, when he would get drunk. Nobody in Mayella’s town would help her because of her race,class,and gender. This could make Mayella not powerful. In other words, Mayella is not powerful by not getting help from her neighbors, and also having to live behind a dumpster with her siblings (Document A1), “ Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin…..”. Mayella got no kind of help from her neighbors or friends because of her race. Mayella tries to keep herself clean for the trial (Document
To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the 1930’s in the midst of the Great Depression. In times of uncertainty during the trial of Tom Robinson Jem, Dill, and Scout grow up as if nothing has changed. Atticus Finch continues to fight Robinson’s trial which leads to nineteen year old Mayella Ewell’s testimony. In terms of control over herself and others in relation to class, race and gender it seems apparent that Mayella Ewell’s gender affects her control over her life and the lives of others the most. Gender, a widespread label separating the world to promote fairness might be used to one’s advantage in a number of ways.
Mayella, a poor white girl, accused Tom Robinson, a black male, of raping her. Does Mayella have the ability to do something or be strong in her class, gender, and race? Mayella doesn’t have much power in her class and gender but she does have power in her race. First of all, Mayella isn’t powerful in her class.
Class, Gender, Race in To Kill A Mockingbird: Is Mayella Powerful? Power is control over one’s own life as well as others. This story is about a rape trial against Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson and the verdict of the trail is that Tom is found guilty.
One day in Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression a young girl named Mayella Ewell was raped. This shows Mayella is one powerful young girl in the story To Kill A Mockingbird. It will show how she is power through class, race, and gender. First Mayella is powerful through her class ranking. In the story it said that the “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin…”.
Mayella was born in the lowest class. Being poor in Maycomb wasn’t uncommon but as poor as she was, it was a little much. Mayella tried to be normal compared to her family. When being described, “Mr. Ewell had a scalded look; as if an overnight soaking had deprived him of protective layers of dirt… Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean,” (Lee 239) Mayella tried to be a decent person unlike the family she was born into.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell does not deserve pity from the readers, despite her home life because she constantly victimizes herself, shows no remorse for Tom Robinson, and will bring innocent people down to help herself. Mayella’s character starts to reveal itself during the trial. During the cross examination, Atticus Finch had asked her questions that will help the jury get a better understanding of what truly took place. She shows little to no confidence while answering the questions, and she is given multiple opportunities to tell the truth. In some cases, she simply did not answer the question at all.
Because of her race, gender, and class, she is considered a powerful character in the novel In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella’s race gives her an incredible advantage, because society
She uses her gender and racial power to have this man killed. Mayella Ewell is powerful because she is able to destroy another man’s life to save her own. Mayella is powerful when it comes to gender because she is able to use her femininity
In “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, thru live in a little town called Maycomb, which is located in Southern Alabama. Maycomb was a little peaceful town, untill something happened. Mayella Ewell changed all of that. Mayella thought she was in control, but she was in fact actually being controlled. Mayella does not have control in “To Kill A Mockingbird”, her father Bob Ewell abuses her.
I think Mayella is mostly powerful because of her race and here is how. There was quote on page nineteen of the DBQ that said “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…” This here showed us that not one single colored man ever beat a case against another man. And since Miss Mayella is a female, Tom is definitely going to have a hard time winning against her. There was another quote on page twenty-one that said, “...
Is Mayella Ewell powerful or not? Mayella Ewell, the poorest girl in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, living on a pig farm with her abusive father and in an abandoned Negro shack. The Ewell’s are the lowest of the low in the town of Maycomb, in rank wise and are not respected too much either. Bob Ewell, father of Mayella Ewell is an abusive man, sexually and physically and has an alcoholic problem. Mayella is usually beaten and sexually assaulted by him, especially when he is drinking, but Mayella has a plan that will let her be free from Bob.
Mayella Ewell is a poor white woman who lives in Maycomb County. Mayella’s house is a desolate Negro cabin behind the town’s trash dump. Her fence is made up of tree branches and broken tools. Despite all this, Mayella Ewell does have power. “Yes, suh.
In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee took the minor character of Mayella Ewell and made her into a sympathetic role to her readers in a latent way. Mayella's life at home is told through the story's background and foreshadowing references. This is how Lee made Mayella memorable enough to the reader to know who she is and her family situation without needing her point of view of her side of the story. Once Mayella enters the storyline, her actions will become understandable to the reader and generate sympathy. One way Lee makes Mayella a sympathetic character is how before entering her into the story, one of Mayella's younger siblings was introduced.
But she said he took advantage of her, and when she stood up she looked at him as if he were dirt beneath her feet.” Mayella’s loneliness and powerlessness drove her to have an affair with a black man, breaking a societal code. She is a victim of poverty because of the hatred and discrimination occurring in Maycomb. Although some might view Mayella Ewell as a victim, others might view her as a villain because she broke a societal code by attempting to have an affair with a Negro.
Bob Ewell, is Mayella’s father, the villain of the novel and most figures that struts hatred to the African Americans. Bob Ewell has no money, no education, he wants his life to be better, and he pours his anger on whoever is weaker than him. He bashes his daughter when he discovered her intentions towards Tom Robinson; he also tried to hurt Scout and Jem. "I see that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" (84)