What Is Mayella's Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

Because of Mayella’s race, class, and gender I believe she has a very limited amount of power in society. Her race sets her above the negroes which gives her a advantage over them. But her family is very low-class with the conditions she lives. Mayella being a white woman allows her to be above certain people but being a woman also puts her behind men. Based on race, class, and gender makes me believe that she doesn’t have as much power as others. Mayella is a white woman that gives her power over the negroes. “‘Ma’am?’ asked Atticus, startled. ‘Long’s you keep on makin’ fun o’ me.’ Judge Taylor said, ‘Mr. Finch is not making fun of you. What’s the matter with you?’ Mayella looked from under lowered eyelids at Atticus, but she said to …show more content…
“Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin.... Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls.... What passed for a fence was bits of tree-limbs, broomsticks and tool shafts.... Enclosed by this barricade was a dirty yard...Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean, and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard” (Doc A). This quote is stating that because Mayella ,having a low-class family, lives in the dumps the white people nor the negroes want to have any interactions with. The negroes don’t talk to her because she is white. The white people don’t talk to her because she lives behind the dumps in an old abandoned negro cabin. Her being in the middle of blacks and whites giver her no power over …show more content…
“Do you love your father, Miss Mayella?’ ‘Love him, whatcha mean?’ ‘I mean, is he good to you, is he easy to get along with?’ ‘He does tollable, ‘cept when-’ ‘Except when?’ 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 ‘Except when nothin’,’ said Mayella. ‘I said he does tollable.’ Mr. Ewell leaned back again. ‘Except when he’s drinking?’ asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded... ‘He[Bob Ewell] says you goddamn whore, I’ll kill ya” (Doc B). In other words, being a woman gets her beat by her father, Bob Ewell, who controls her and makes her convict Robinson of rape because he caught her kissing Tom and try to fix their family’s reputation by “proving Mayella’s innocence”. Including her class and race with gender constricts her power. Therefore, Mayella being a white woman in a low-class family doesn’t give her a great amount of power. Her race puts her ahead of black people. But her class pushes her behind all the white people making it so she can’t be friends with either race. She is also a woman put behind all white men. She might have power over some people but being in a low-class family and a woman doesn’t give her much of an advantage in power in a southern

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What Is Mayella's Power In To Kill A Mockingbird