TKAM Homework 2/15/06

Both Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson share some distinct characteristics in the book. Both characters are constantly being abused by society and the people around them. Tom is black. In the 1930′s, especially in Alabama, no one showed any decency, let alone respect toward black people.  Everyone thinks they’re better than Tom and are constantly talking down to him or taking advantage of him. Like in the courtroom, when the lawyer was cross-examining Tom, he kept calling him boy. It was condescending and showed extreme disrespect. The same with Mayella. She’s not black, but society still looks down on her. She’s trash; she laterally lives at the dump. Not only is she trash, but she’s a woman. Women in the 1930′s had almost as little rights as blacks. Her family is broke and lives off well-fare. They are leeching off the community and what does Mr. Ewell do with the money? He buys liquor. So Mayella is also disrespected and taken advantage off. No one in Maycomb wants to be seen with her, and, on top of that, her father takes out his drunken rage on her by beating her. So both Tom and Mayella are at the very bottom of the social ladder and they can’t control it. Tom was born black and Mayellas can’t change what her father does.

However similar they are, Tom and Mayella have differences as well. Tom is completely innocent; he does all this work for Mayella and accepts no pay. He simply feels bad that her father is being so neglecting to the family. He makes Mayella do all the chores, like busting up chiffarobes, and spends the only money the family gets on alcohol. Not only that, but Mayella also has all those kids to look after. Tom was just trying to help someone he thought needed it.  But Mayella, to repay Tom for all he’s done, tries to take advantage of him. And when her dad catches her, she claims that Tom tried to rape her. Simply to salvage what little respect they have with the community, Mr. Ewell beats Mayella and says Tom attacked her and took advantage of her. Mayella would selfishly frame Tom rather than face what she did. Tom was nothing but nice to her, and this is how she repays him. Tom would never do that. It doesn’t matter how bad Mayella is treated, that’s just not right. And it’s certainly not innocent

I think that Mayella and Tom are more alike than most people of Maycomb think. They both were born into a bad situation that they have absolutely no control over it. Tom was born black and is automatically disrespected by everyone at that time, and Mayella’s life is being ruined by her father beating her and taking the family’s only source of money to buy alcohol. Life dealt them both a bad hand and there’s nothing either of them con do about it. So everyday, they struggle through, being sneered at behind their backs by the good old people of Maycomb.

Advertisement