Though she may be lonely, Mayella is a self-preserving person, she places saving herself above all else in life, which is the most pitiful thing of all. Mayella so desperately wants to save herself, she even lies while on the stand. During the trial, Mayella's statement is contradicted by Tom Robinson's. When asked Mayella says her father never laid on her but Tom testifies “she said what her father does doesn't count” (Lee, 260) in the context of having sexual relations. Mayella so wants to be believed that she is willing to be dishonest under oath. This implies that Mayella is willing to lie just to save her skin. In the same fashion, Mayella is attempting to get Tom tried for a crime he did not commit. Tom was the only person who was ever
