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

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” was about a court case in which the defending
lawyer Atticus Finch and his children Scout and Jem Finch receive prejudice for defending
African American Tom Robinson, the man accused of “raping” a white female named Mayella
Ewell. The accuser, Mayella Ewell, has the power to win the court case because of her gender,
race, and social class in Maycomb county Alabama.
Mayella Ewell had the power to win the court case because of her gender. Tom
Robinson states in document B that “she reached up an ‘kissed me ‘side of th’ face. She says
she never kissed a grown man before…. She says what her papa does to her don’t count…. I
didn’t wanta harm her.” Mayella’s father had the superiority to take advantage of her because
she was a female and Tom would not touch her because she did not want to hit a woman.
During this time drinking and hitting women would be considered disrespectful and could
possibly be jailed for this. Another example of gender superiority is also in Document B and it
states “Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He
sat up straight and waited for her to answer.” Mr. Ewell did this to indirectly threaten her with his
posture to show that Mayella had no power over her father.
Mayella Ewell had the power to win the court case because of her race. In document C
Atticus refers to Myella as ma’am out of respect and because she was a white female. While in
the next exert Mr. Gilmer referred to Tom Robinson as “boy” because he was African American
instead of using sir to show respect toward Tom Robinson. In document C Dill states “It was just
him i couldn’t stand… That old Mr. Gilmer doin’ him thataway, talking so hateful to him… the
way that man called him boy all the time an’ sneered at him…Well, Dill, after all he’s just a
negro… I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right…” This shows that Dill had respect toward all
people no matter what race they are but Mr. Gilmer had respect toward the white female
Mayella Ewell and her father Mr. Ewell.
Mayella Ewell had the power to win because of her class level. In Document A it states
“He thought he’d be a hero, but all he get for his pain was… okay, we’ll convict this negro but
get back to your dump.” This shows that the Ewells class was low compared to other people
and the court just wanted Mr. Ewell “out of their way” and refers to his home near negros as
“your dump.” Also in document E states 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; negros wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white…” This shows that
even the African Americans wanted nothing to do with the Ewells. Giving even more reason for
Mayella to win to get the Ewells back to their home where no other white people would be
willing to live even other African Americans.
Mayella Ewell has the power to win the court case because of her gender, race, and
social class leading to Tom Robinson being accused and jailed. Although during transport he
had escaped and was shot by the transport for not obeying orders to return to the vehicle to be
transported to the jail. Atticus told him that they would try again at a higher level of court level.