How Is Mayella Ewell Inhumane In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Mayella Ewell sends an innocent man to jail after accusing him of a capital offense, rape. Would she have done this if she had been raised with a different upbringing? At a young age, Mayella is forced to become the sole caregiver of her family due to her abusive father and deceased mother. She inherits her family’s destitute property, and continues to represent the lowest white class of Maycomb’s society. Due to not receiving love and support from her own family or her hometown, she becomes a social pariah. These factors bring about a conflict within her, between what is expected, and what is morally correct. This results in her wrongly accusing the one person who treats her respectfully. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell is worthy …show more content…
For several generations, the family has continued to live behind the town’s dump in an old decrepit cabin. This area is described by Scout as the playhouse of a psychotic child. The town’s dump reflects the characteristics of its residents, both being filthy and chaotic. The only purity in this mountain of filth are six slop jars containing bright red geraniums, planted by Mayella Ewell. These flowers are a symbol of refinement and esteem, showing her hopes of wanting something better for herself. The reader better understands her aspirations when Lee writes, “Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean, and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard” (Lee 239). Though the characters of Mayella and Bob Ewell are similar, the distinction between these two individuals is evident through the geraniums. Mayella dreams of rising to a higher standard of living. Her family, however, remains in one of the lowest positions in society, according to Jem. If the court discovered that she had lied about her relationship with Tom Robinson, the Ewell family would become even more ostracized. Associating with a black man was considered a vile act which would have lowered their social rank even further. Despite her desires to rise up, Mayella and her family’s status remains the