I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Chapters 16-23 unfolds with the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man, accused of assaulting Mayella Ewell, a 19-year-old white girl. Despite Atticus’s determination, Tom Robinson is declared guilty, leaving the Finch family distraught. In this journal, I will be characterizing Tom Robinson and evaluating why Mayella Ewell would lie about the assault.
Starting off, I will be characterizing Tom Robinson. To begin, Tom comes off as a considerate person. One reason I believe this, is because Tom willingly carried out chores for Mayella, without expecting payment in return, in spite of having his own chores at home. In court he recalls that, “I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help …show more content…
My second reason is, because Mr. Link Deas claims that Tom has never caused him trouble. Before Mr. Gilmer could cross-examine Tom, Mr. Deas let the jury know that, “That boy’s worked for me eight years an’ I ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him. Not a speck” (Lee 261). Not only did Mr. Deas admit that he thought of Tom as a decent man, but he was brave enough to interrupt the trial for this claim. Seeing that someone would be courageous enough to stand up for Tom, even to risk getting reprimanded, shows that Tom’s considerate attitude towards others have made them fond of him and willingly defend him. Lastly, it is revealed that Tom would never strike a white woman. Even as Mayella forcefully made her advances on him, he refused to hurt her, despite fearing the …show more content…
My first belief is that Mayella Ewell fears social discrimination. For instance, Mayella became visibly hostile towards Atticus when he inquired her about whether she had any friends, or not. During the cross, Scout infers that, “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 she was white” (Lee 256). From this we can deduce that Mayella feels rejected and cast out from society. As a way to cover the loneness, we can assume that Mayella accused Tom of the assault as a way to get people to sympathize with her and feel like she belonged to a group. Secondly, in court, Tom had established that Mayella had hugged and kissed him. In Maycomb the relationship between a white women and black man is strictly taboo. Not wanting to face discrimination over making a move on a black man, Mayella conjured up an alibi to pin the blame on Tom. My third reason is that Mayella felt guilty about breaking a social code. During his speech, Atticus clearly stated that, “Tom Robinson was her daily reminder of what she did. What did she do? She tempted a Negro” (Lee 272), claiming that Mayella was ashamed of her actions. She knew that attempting to seduce Tom would be looked down upon. Knowing that Tom was out and about only made her guilt intensify, because his mere presence was a reminder to her of what she did.
Starting off, I will be characterizing Tom Robinson. To begin, Tom comes off as a considerate person. One reason I believe this, is because Tom willingly carried out chores for Mayella, without expecting payment in return, in spite of having his own chores at home. In court he recalls that, “I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help …show more content…
My second reason is, because Mr. Link Deas claims that Tom has never caused him trouble. Before Mr. Gilmer could cross-examine Tom, Mr. Deas let the jury know that, “That boy’s worked for me eight years an’ I ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him. Not a speck” (Lee 261). Not only did Mr. Deas admit that he thought of Tom as a decent man, but he was brave enough to interrupt the trial for this claim. Seeing that someone would be courageous enough to stand up for Tom, even to risk getting reprimanded, shows that Tom’s considerate attitude towards others have made them fond of him and willingly defend him. Lastly, it is revealed that Tom would never strike a white woman. Even as Mayella forcefully made her advances on him, he refused to hurt her, despite fearing the …show more content…
My first belief is that Mayella Ewell fears social discrimination. For instance, Mayella became visibly hostile towards Atticus when he inquired her about whether she had any friends, or not. During the cross, Scout infers that, “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 she was white” (Lee 256). From this we can deduce that Mayella feels rejected and cast out from society. As a way to cover the loneness, we can assume that Mayella accused Tom of the assault as a way to get people to sympathize with her and feel like she belonged to a group. Secondly, in court, Tom had established that Mayella had hugged and kissed him. In Maycomb the relationship between a white women and black man is strictly taboo. Not wanting to face discrimination over making a move on a black man, Mayella conjured up an alibi to pin the blame on Tom. My third reason is that Mayella felt guilty about breaking a social code. During his speech, Atticus clearly stated that, “Tom Robinson was her daily reminder of what she did. What did she do? She tempted a Negro” (Lee 272), claiming that Mayella was ashamed of her actions. She knew that attempting to seduce Tom would be looked down upon. Knowing that Tom was out and about only made her guilt intensify, because his mere presence was a reminder to her of what she did.