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Mayella Ewells In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell’s is not a powerful character. The three categories to decide this are her class, race, and gender. In Maycomb, Alabama, a poor girl named Mayella Ewell has accused Tom Robinson of rape.
Mayella is most powerful in race, because she is a white woman. Her being a white woman helps her. The case of Mayella being raped by Tom Robinson is based on race because, he is a Negro and does not have the power she has. Mr. Gilmer is questioning Tom Robinson at the trail, and Jem says “Well, Dill, after all he’s just a Negro.” and Dill says “I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right…..”. ("DBQ is Mayella Ewells powerful" 17) . Dill thinks that everyone is equal, and does not have a problem with …show more content…
Being a woman in this time meant the men had to show you all kinds of respect. “Ma’am?” asked Atticus, startled. ("DBQ is Mayella Ewells powerful" 17). Atticus called Mayella Ma'am showing her respect. “Long’s he keeps on callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I dont hafta take his sass, I ain’t called upon to take it.” ("DBQ is Mayella Ewells powerful" 17). Mayella is getting offended by the fact that Atticus is being respectful, but she thinks he is making fun of her, but he’s just showing respect. During the trial, Tom Robinson said something that should have not been said. “Mr. Gilmer smiled grimly at the jury. “You’re a mighty good fellow, it seems-- did all this for not one penny?” ‘Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her….’ ‘You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?’ ("DBQ is Mayella Ewells powerful" 21). Tom Robinson felt bad for her because she was lonely. Him saying he felt sorry for her was not right because he is a Negro.
Mayella is least powerful in class, because she is a poor white woman living behind a dump, but used to be a Negro cabin. “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…” ("DBQ is Mayella Ewells powerful" 13). Mayella gets treated terribly by people that’s in a higher class than her, she even gets disrespected by her father Bob Ewells. “She reached up an’ kisses me’ side of

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