Essay Sample on Mayella Ewell in To Kill A Mockingbird

People can misunderstand what other people's lives look like in their home and can assume it is fine from the outside, but this is not always the case. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays a racially segregated society and is narrated by a six-year-old girl, Scout. Miss Mayella Ewell has accused Tom Robinson, a negro man, of raping her. Scout is the daughter of Atticus, who becomes Tom Robinson's lawyer. They go to court, and a trial is held. Testimonies from both sides are given. Mayella Ewell conveys a lot about herself and what she is going through as Atticus strategically asks her questions to reveal more about the night of the incident and what really happened. Mayella Ewell is worthy of compassion because she is being forced by her father to lie in her testimony in front of the whole town. She suffers from his abuse and has no friends, so she is lonely all the time. 

Mayella Ewell is forced against her will by her father to lie in her testimony against Tom Robinson, so she deserves compassion regarding her father not letting her speak her truth. Mayella is telling her side of the story in the courtroom, and Atticus questions her trying to get more information to prove that Tom Robinson is innocent. Atticus asks Mayella if she loves her father, and she hesitates in response.  Her father, “...sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat up straight and waited for her to answer.” (Lee 97) He waits in eagerness for her response since he wants her to say what he wants her to say. She is being forced by her father to say what he wants in order to win the case and get away with lying. Mayella Ewell bears compassion and sympathy because her father is threatening her if she doesn’t tell a false story. She is vulnerable and scared sitting in the courtroom because of what her father wants her to say, and she tries to avoid telling the truth through tears and emotion. Mayella cries and Atticus responds, “Let her cry if she wants to, Judge. We’ve got all the time in the world.” (98)  She tries to stall and wants to tell the truth, but cannot because her father is near and is listening closely to what Mayella has to say about what happened the night of the incident. Mayella Ewell is nervous and being threatened by her father to speak dishonestly of her own actions, thus worthy of compassion for her horrific father. 

Not only has she faced force from her father, she has experienced abuse from him in her household, therefore she is worthy of compassion because she is misunderstood and is being mistreated behind closed doors. In the courtroom, Tom Robinson pleads his case and mentions that Mayella Ewell hugged and kissed him, “She says what her papa do to her don’t count.” (103) His words hint that her father sexually assaults her and abuses her at home. This is not easily seen from an outsider so she can be misunderstood and not easy to show compassion towards, but as you get to know her and her personal life, you can see she is scared and has experienced abuse. This is not the only example of abuse from her father; he has also not shown love for his children and burdens his kids with hunger. Atticus reveals a bit about Bob Ewell, “when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey his children have a way of crying from hunger pains.” (16) Bob Ewell is irresponsible with his money and does not take care of his kids with affection and responsibility. Mayella Ewell has been through enough in life with her father, she is worthy of compassion because she gets abused by her father and is not being taken care of properly by her father. 

Mayella Ewell has gone through a lot with her abusive father but she has no friends from which to get support, and she is lonely all the time and is desperate for affection. We should give her compassion for the fact she has no one to go to when in danger and has never felt love. Atticus asks her a certain question to show the judge more of what her life is like at home. When he asks her certain questions she reveals she has no real friends and is always at home taking care of her siblings. Atticus proposes, “with two members of the family reading and writing, there was no need for the rest of them to learn—Papa needed them at home.” (97) She did not attend school so she had no opportunity to make friends, and is lonely just working around the house. This shows that her life is not engaging and no one has given her attention or affection.  Mayella is worthy of compassion because of how difficult her life is. As a matter of fact, Atticus asks her if she has any friends at all, Mayella replies in “hostility, which had subsided to grudging neutrality, flared again.” “You makin‘ fun o’me agin, Mr. Finch?” (97) She avoids the question by acting as if she does have friends, but she does not. Her mother has died, and she is left as the oldest sibling having to take care of her brothers and sisters in an abusive household, making her a lonely person and deserving of compassion. 

A poor girl who suffers a hard life, being responsible for her siblings while her father spends money on alcohol every week, being abused and sexually assaulted by her father and having to lie under oath. With her circumstances, she is secluded and wants attention and love from others, so she struggles and tries her best to appease her abusive father.  Mayella Ewell is a misunderstood person who is worthy of compassion for her unstable life that can be found in many examples of her personal experiences and actions.