Ewell, her father bought a chifforobe to chop up, then Tom Robinson came by and she gave him a nickel for busting up the chifforobe. Mayella went in the house to get a nickel for him. Before she knew it, he was on her, cussing her out, and hit her, chocked her, and beat her several times. She also claims she screamed and fought back when she could, but that he took “full advantage” of her and “he done what he was after.” In Tom Robinson’s testimony, he says he passed Mayella’s house going to and from the field every day, and sometimes she would have work that needed to be done that he would do with no charge.
Many times her father would be drunk and not paying attention to the family, which may be because of his wife dying. Mayella and Victoria are alike since they both were forced to supply for their lower class family because of crutch that their parents
Admittedly, she is a young girl who doesn’t know what a friend is, and had been placed under responsibility for her younger siblings and caring for the house her whole life. Although she is lying with intent to cover for her father, she may not know what else she could have done because of the two to three years of education she received. However, Mayella should have had the whole image of what she was doing in her mind. It is true that Mayella has never had much of a social life, but because her father implied what was wrong with her physically, she could have learned what was right. Placing the blame on a man who could easily be prosecuted for her injuries is something that can not be pitied and sympathized
Although they both come from households like this they still stick up for and protect their families. Naomi takes care of the house in her family as well as her father and brother. Mayella also takes care of her family's home along with her many siblings
The firm declaration of Mayella denying that her father abuses her after claiming he can be intolerable while drunk and her hesitant answer gives us the clear conclusion that Mayella is being abused by her father and her injuries and rape were done not by Tom Robinson but by Mr. Ewell
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.
Bob Ewell intimidated Mayella to lie on the witness stand, which led the jury to believe that she was telling the truth. You could tell that Mayella is under the intimidation of her father when she is testifying: “Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing He sat up straight and waited for her to answer.” (Lee 245). As they were interrogating Mayella, she would constantly look at her father, as if she was waiting for approval. This implies that her father told her what to do and what to say.
What many people don’t realize is how much of a mockingbird Mayella is. The reader follows only a small portion of Mayella’s story, but it is substantial enough for the reader to identify her as a victim of abuse. Mayella was abused by her father throughout her life and becomes manipulated to pin the blame for her own actions on the innocent. It becomes a chain reaction of sorts. Though Mayella isn’t described in vivid detail, she was an influential character in the book as well as a victim of the evil of Maycomb.
Although Mayella is not powerful within her class and gender, she is still given a degree of power due to her race. Mayella is able to have some power of the people around her,
“Atticus was quietly building up before the jury a picture of the Ewells’ home life… and there was a strong suspicion that Papa drank it up anyway.” (Narrator 244). Atticus portrays Mayella’s life at home, he tries to get the jury to feel sorry for her which helped him to be successful in the trial. Since Atticus was acting so nice and acting like he relates to Mayella, she eventually let her guard down and got cornered by Atticus. Atticus “trapped” Mayella, and the only reason he was successful in doing so was because of his solicitude.
Mayella was not favored by the people in Maycomb. She was extremely poor and never spoke on any harassment she suffered from her father. Tom Robinson attempts to get the truth out in the open when he is giving his testimony, “She said what her papa do to her don’t count” (Doc B). Mayella doesn’t fully understand that her father is physically abusive towards her. To her it’s just love.
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.
Taylor McAllister Period 3 11.08.16 TKAMB Essay Thesis- Injustice and ignorance can be shown through the narrow-mindedness of people, such as Mayella Ewell, Aunt Alexandria, and the even the town of Maycomb. To kill a Mockingbird shows and depicts many characters and the attitude toward life, Tom Robinson, and the people in the town of Maycomb. Injustice is shown throughout and complimented by that is narrow-mindedness. Some of the characters show that narrow-mindedness and ignorance can take a toll on how maycomb operates.
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.
Her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking. When she tried to put the evidence of her offense away, instead of being honest, she had put a man’s life in danger. However, Mayella is not a criminal. She is simply a woman who carries a heavy burden with no one to support or respect her. Mayella is a victim of abuse and
