How To Kill A Mockingbird Dbq Essay

In society, people would usually associate with others who are the most similar to them since they tend to feel more comfortable around them. For instance, in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, is a story of Mayella Ewell who is a poor, white woman living in a racist environment during the 1930s. Some people will say that Mayella isn’t sincerely powerful and others might disagree. On the contrary, Mayella doesn’t have much capability when it comes down to her low financial status and her gender; however, her race is what makes her highly powerful.

Mayella lives in a tremendously poor neighborhood since she “lived behind the town garbage dump”. (Doc. A) Therefore, because of her class, the community looks down upon her and her family. After winning the trial with Mayella accusing Tom Robinson, an African American of rape, Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, believed that he would be viewed as a hero but all he received was “okay, we’ll convict this Negro but get back to your dump.” (Doc. A) During the questioning of Mayella, Mayella assumed that Atticus was mocking her by calling her “ma’am” and “miss”. (Doc. C) The reason why she thought this was because she is not socially experienced since her own race doesn’t want to associate with her since she “lived among pigs”

During the trial, Tom Robinson revealed that Mayella’s father verbally and sexually abuses her. Tom states “She says she never kissed a grown man before. She says what her papa do to her don’t count.” (Doc. B) After Mr. Ewell caught Tom and Mayella, he called Mayella a “goddamn whore” and threatens her by saying “I’ll kill ya.” (Doc. B) Additionally, based on circumstantial evidence, this substantiates MAyella was physically abused as well. Atticus states that Bob was left-handed and Mayella was “beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left.” (Doc. B) Overall, Mayella’s gender makes her defenseless to the abuse her father did on