Examples Of Mayella's Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

Words: 455
Pages: 2
Open Document
Is Mayella Powerful? How much power does Mayella really have? Very little! In the Coming-Of-Age fictional novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Mayella Ewell is a poor, white, girl who has suffered abuse from her father for many years. She accuses Tom Robinson, a black man, of rape after her father sees her through the window making advances towards Tom. The Ewells believe, if Tom is found guilty, they will gain respect from the community. The Ewells are in a class of their of their own. According to the text, Jem called Mayella a mixed child: “white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her because is white.”1 Their house was behind the dump. Its windows …show more content…
Power must be gained or taken, especially if it is power over a man. Mayella had no power when it came to her father, whatever he wanted to do to her, he did. She had nowhere else to go and no one else to take care of her or her siblings. She thought that if she could get Tom to do things for her(including succumbing to her advances)she would prove that she indeed had power not only to herself, but perhaps to her father and the rest of the townspeople. Thus when her plan backfired and her father saw what she had done, she had no choice but to make up the accusation of rape to keep herself out of trouble. Can the color of someone’s skin, determine how much power he or she has? In Maycomb, during The Great Depression,all white people were dominant. The town was segregated and the Negroes(although no longer slaves)were still the lowest people.Because she is white, Mayella has some power, or at least, more than blacks. This is obvious during the trial and after. In fact, Reverend Sykes 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.”3 Reverend Sykes was right, Mayella and Bob won the trial. The jury was prejudiced and found Tom
Show More

Related Documents: Examples Of Mayella's Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

Mayella Miss Maudie Quotes

It’s easy to see why we sympathize her as a terrible person in the story. There is a passage on chapter 17 about Mayella's flowers that gives us a positive attitude towards her. Though she is a Ewell and their home is a dump, Mayella plants “brilliant red geraniums,” which she “care[s] for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson.” Flowers indicate that…

Words 640 - Pages 3

What Is Mayella's Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

How would one define power? A better question would be, what factors come into play when defining power? For Mayella Ewell, a poor white female living in 1930’s Alabama, these factors are class, race, and gender. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Mayella made claims that Tom Robinson, an innocent black man, raped her in a desperate attempt to get away from her abusive father. Although these claims were false, the jury convicted Tom because Mayella has power over him. Mayella has power sourced from class,…

Words 641 - Pages 3

Essay On Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

Power is the ability to influence the behavior or actions of others. It has been interpreted that throughout time race, gender, and class interlock to create power. That being said, these three categories put together simultaneously shape the experience of all people. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, class, gender, and race are the defining factors that show if a character has power or not. Many characters prove themselves to have power like Atticus and the Sheriff. On the other hand, some…

Words 753 - Pages 4

Assumptions In To Kill A Mockingbird

the 1930s, where racism influenced beliefs and created false assumptions. The events depicted in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird illustrate the prevalence of racism towards African Americans in the 1930s. Take the racism in the Maycomb County courthouse as an example. From the beginning, even Atticus admits that he knows racism will prevail in this case, but…

Words 655 - Pages 3

How Does Mayella Have Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

To kill a Mockingbird is based upon the idea of race, gender, and class. Now keep in mind that this book is set up in the 1930’s where all of these things were a big deal, mostly the race inequality of the time. During this time period there were a set of laws called The jim crow laws, which restricted many rights for African Americans. Mayella, who was the antagonist of the story took advantage of all this. In a sense she is powerful but the definition of having power is having the ability to influence…

Words 381 - Pages 2

To Kill A Mockingbird Courage Quotes

frightening. Courage must be worked on and practiced. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many life lessons including many about courage. Displaying acts of courage are not second nature to Atticus Finch, Calpurnia, or Tom Robinson. However, they all overcame fear to do valiant things to show and tell Jem, Scout, and Dill how to stand up for what they believe in. The first character who showed an exceptional amount of courage in To Kill a Mockingbird, is Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout’s father. On page…

Words 1280 - Pages 6

To Kill A Mockingbird Childhood

deeply to the bottom, and cannot see the future. The whole nation got stuck into a dark patch of coffin. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird showed the time she suffered when she was a child. Rather than say it’s a novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is more like a real portrayal of Lee’s childhood. To Kill A Mockingbird, as the most popular book in the whole period,…

Words 1691 - Pages 7

To Kill A Mockingbird Injustice

cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” Unfortunately for most people, power has a profound impact on people from all walks of life. It has made monsters of doctors and murderers of family men. This relates to the novel because Tom Robinson, an innocent negro, was wrongfully turned into a rapist. Although, some may believe the only motif used in To Kill a Mockingbird is injustice, Harper Lee illustrates through vivid dialog that the main motifs of the novel are social…

Words 916 - Pages 4

Essay On Physical Disabilities In To Kill A Mockingbird

for others who feel like their situation is helpless. His disability has helped him in an unforeseen way. While this may seem counterintuitive, this is an example of a somewhat common situation. There are many examples in life where a physical disability has a positive effect on someone’s life. Harper Lee utilizes this motif in To Kill A Mockingbird by giving characters in her novel physical disabilities and allowing these characters to thrive because of their disabilities. Many characters in this novel…

Words 879 - Pages 4

To Kill A Mockingbird Body Paragraph Analysis

“Not all female power, however, is good. During the trial, it is clear to everyone that Mayella Ewell is lying, that she accused Tom Robinson of rape to mask her own social crime of desire for a Black man.” Mayella had the power to save the young Negro’s life, but she chose to let him die. Since she was a human being, the reader can conclude that she felt some kind of guiltiness but chose to ignore it. This can be an example of the novel portraying women wrongly using her power, or it can also be…

Words 1490 - Pages 6