Class, Gender, and Race in ​To Kill a Mockingbird​: Is Mayella powerful?

In the book,” To Kill A Mockingbird”, Mayella Ewell is a poor white girl that lives in

Maycomb County, Alabama who was raped by a black male. Mayella is an interesting person to

examine closely, she is white, she is a female, and she is the poorest of the poor. Some think

that Mayella isn't powerful in the court case because of these traits. Mayella is powerful because

she takes advantage of people feeling sorry for her as a result of her poor class, female gender,

and race.

The first way that Mayella is powerful is by taking advantage of people feeling sorry for

her because of her social class. Mayella is the poorest of poor and people in Maycomb felt sorry

for her. Document A states,” 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 with bits of tree-limbs, broomsticks and tool shafts…” This quote from Doc A shows

that Mayella lived in what was called the dump. They were very poor, therefore people in

Maycomb felt bad for her, and she took advantage of it. Document E states,” As Tom Robinson

gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the

world…: white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs.”

According to the quote, Mayella lived like a pig and she had no friends because of this. Once,

Again Mayella took advantage of this in her case to make people feel bad for her.

The second way that Mayella is powerful is by taking advantage of people feeling sorry

for her because of her gender. Mayella was a female and in the 1930s females didn’t have

many rights so therefore she didn’t have an advantage in the case. Document B states,” What

did her father do? We don't know, but there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella

Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left...” This quote
shows us that Mayella was beaten by a male because she was a poor female. Mayella ruled in

the case because she was a female, she was abused, and people in Maycomb felt bad for her

because of that. Document C states,” Mayella looked from under lowered eyelids at Atticus, but

she said to the Judge: Long’s he keeps on callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don't

hafta take his sass….” This shows that Mayella was happy someone was showing her manners

in the case. People in Maycomb were showing her respect and manners because they felt sorry

for her as a result of the things she had been going through.

The third was that Mayella is powerful is because of her race. In the 1930s black people

were discriminated against and anyone would believe anything over a black person. Mayella

had the advantage in this part of the case because she was a white female and the person that

raped her was a black male. Document D states,” The Ewells… have presented themselves to

you gentlemen, to this court… confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the

assumption-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral

beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women.” This quote from Document

D shows that Maycomb county doesn’t trust black people at all. They feel that black people

should not be respected so therefore Mayella had the advantage in this aspect of the court

case.

Mayella is an interesting person to examine closely, she is white, she is a female, and

she is the poorest of the poor. Some think that Mayella isn't powerful in the court case because

of these traits. In conclusion, Mayella was powerful because people felt sorry for her because of

her race, gender, and class and she took advantage of that.