Who Is Mayella Ewell Powerless In To Kill A Mockingbird

Mayella Ewell has all of Maycomb County in an uproar when she accuses a black man named Tom Robinson of rape. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird , the story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. A poor white girl named Mayella Ewell, whose class, gender, and race make her powerless in society, made a desperate attempt to gain power through false accusations. Although Mayella will go on to convict Tom Robinson of rape, her class, race, and gender will still result in her remaining powerless. Mayella’s family was one of the poorest white families in the community. The Ewells lived behind the town dump in what was once a Negro cabin. Their yard was made of dirt and the fence was made of tree limbs. Mayella’s family is considered white trash and are looked down upon as much as the black citizens. While her family was considered trash, she still tried to rise above her family’s status by keeping herself untarnished and separating herself from the stigma she is associated with. In a quote by Scout, who was present at the trial, “One corner of the yard, though, bewildered Maycomb. Against the fence line, were six …show more content…
In the trial of Tom Robinson, Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, thought that the jury would convict Tom just because he was a black man accused of raping a white woman. Although the Ewells win the trial, the gender of Mayella did subsidize to their victory. Mayella may be a woman, yet she is not treated like one. During the trial of Tom Robinson, Mayella says “‘Long’s he keeps callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take his sass, I ain’t called upon to take it.” (Lee, Chapter 18) This quote shows that Mayella is not familiar with someone showing her the respect that her gender deserves. Although Mayella is a woman, her gender is unimportant during the trial of Tom