Tom says that on the night of November 21st he was walking home from work when Mayella asked him to come inside the house to help her retrieve a box that was on top of a tall dresser. Tom tells Mr. Gilmer that he was afraid of being accused of something he didn't do. First, Bob Ewell violently attacks Jem and Scout, but then Boo Radley appears and saves the children. Scout associates this with the red geraniums she tries to grow to bring a bit of beauty into her life. In each of the following sentences, the verb agrees with its subject. The oldest child in her family, it falls to her to care for the younger children. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. She takes the children to her church one Sunday, and, because of this, Scout and Jem can sit in the colored balcony during Tom Robinsons trial. Mayella lives in poverty, caring for her siblings while her father drinks away all of their money. She is the sole caretaker for a passel of children. The rest of the novel is the background context for Jems broken arm. Her thoughts are interrupted by Atticus asking Tom if he had ever gone onto the Ewell property without being asked. Physically he is a tiny little man, so he might be putting on airs to act "bigger" than he really is. Tom says he was always happy to help because it didn't seem her father ever did; he also says that he didn't accept any payment for his work because he knew Mayella had no money to spare. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Though Mr. Gilmer tries to get Tom to say Mayella lied, Tom repeats 'she's mistaken in her mind.' The grim facts of Mayella Ewell's life emerge in her testimony and in Jem's observations of her. She then asked Tom to kiss her, explaining that no one has kissed her before except for her father, which she says doesn't count. They are beginning to see the world as it truly is. Bob Ewell is satisfied because his lie worked, and Jem is furious and incredulous. | He begins to badger the witness, asking about his motives for always helping Mayella with her chores, until Tom declares that he felt sorry for her. Tom's testimony is clear and concise; there is no fumbling around of facts or struggling with misrememberings. Atticus begins by asking Tom to confirm that he has been arrested once before. Scout discovers that Mayella has no friends, rarely leaves her home, lives with an abusive father, and is forced to raise her siblings. When Mayella takes the stand, before she can begin her testimony, she bursts into tears. Lees presentation of Mayella emphasizes her role as victimher father beats her and possibly molests her, while she has to deal with her unhelpful siblings. When the jury convicts Tom Robinson of rape despite the . Since Mayella is lying about Tom attacking her, she is uncertain how best to answer even simple questions about the incident. Outside the courtroom, Dill complains to Scout about Mr. Gilmers rude treatment of Tom Robinson during the questioning. What is Mayella's version of what happened? At the end of the chapter, she has yet to overcome the societal prejudice that has been taught to her when she says "he's just a negro after all" when talking to Dill about the difference between how Tom is being treated by Mr. Gilmer in comparison to how Atticus treated May. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Then she asked him to lift a box down from a dresser. Historical Context Essay: The Scottsboro Boys Trials, Literary Context Essay: To Kill a Mockingbird & The Southern Gothic Tradition. Atticus does this to establish Tom's credibility with the jury. Dill is still a child, and he responds to wickedness with tears, much as the reader responds to Mr. Gilmers unabashed prejudice with disgust. In the following sections, the To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 19 summary is broken down into several sections: a summary of the previous chapter, the events as Tom Robinson takes the stand, his testimony, the cross examination, and the children's reactions. They notice that she is incredibly nervous and that she is behaving and responding somewhat erratically. When Mayella reacts with indignation to Atticuss courteous words, however, Scout feels sorry for her too. She claimed the door was coming off its hinges, and it would be cold soon. She also recognizes how someone like Mr. Raymond can get away with breaking social codes simply because hes white and wealthy, whereas Toms very livelihood is in danger for allegedly doing the same as a black man. However, she insists that he never lays a hand on her or beats her. When Scout expresses concern that Mr. Underwood, the newspaper reporter, has seen them sitting in the balcony, she is concerned that he will tell Atticus that they have attended the trial despite his instructions to stay home. He represents both childhood innocence and friendship. She and Atticus agree that Jem and Scout may need round-the-clock supervision during the public spectacle, and she believes that the children need more exposure to the propriety and traditions of their upstanding family. Mr. Gilmer opens by asking Tom about his disorderly conduct charge again. She thought he was making a mockery of her. Mayella Ewell is pitiable, and her miserable existence almost allows her to join the novel's parade of innocent victimsshe, too, is a kind of mockingbird, injured beyond repair by the . ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS. Tom says he just wants to help because he feels bad for her. After that, Tom begins his testimony by explaining that he walks past Mayella Ewell's house every day on his way to and from work. All rights reserved. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the children react to Mayella's testimony with pity for her ignorance, her fear, and for what is revealed about the rough, abusive nature of her life at home. The fact that she is evidently more accustomed to bathing than her father makes something of a good impression on Scout, but neither Scout nor Jem knows what to make of her outburst of tears. Mr. Dolphus Raymond, the alleged town drunk who lives with a black woman and their children, overhears them. During the trial Tom had told his side of the story and it goes like this. Atticus trips Mayella up several times with his questions as he dissembles her false accusation. Eventually, she does say that Tom hit her in the face. "His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side." Subscribe now. Atticus treats Mayella with respect. Continue to start your free trial. Contact us Tom must admit he might be strong enough to choke a woman. He asks Tom to stand. $24.99 You can view our. He lets them be children by giving them their freedom, but he also insists that they work hard and take care of each other. She thinks Mayella may be as sad as 'what Jem called a mixed child' since white people look down on her, and black people will not go near her because she's white. Doing so would play right into the racist belief that all black men are violent rapists and a threat to white women, the belief on which Mr. Ewell is basing his entire case. Tom works for Mr. Link Deas most of the year, and knows of no way to get to work except passing the Ewell house. At first, Mayella takes exception to Atticus calling her "Miss Mayella," and the judge has to explain that Atticus is imply being polite. She then asked Tom to kiss her, telling him she'd never been kissed before and that what her father does doesn't count. Released in 1962. When Atticus treats her with respect, she is immediately suspicious of his motives. Scout realizes that Mayella must be the loneliest person in the world and is probably lonelier than Boo Radley. Get free homework help on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird: book summary, chapter summary and analysis, quotes, essays, and character analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes. Read a summary of Chapter 19 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Sometimes it can end up there. It is likely that both Black and white courtroom observers, having grown up understanding the societal demands of a place like Maycomb, know exactly why she lies. What happens on Scout and Jems walk home from the harvest pageant? Atticus asks for more details about the struggle, then he asks many questions which Mayella doesn't answer: Why didn't the other children hear her screaming? Why does Mayella Ewell lie on the witness stand? Set in the Great Depression during the 1930s, To Killing a Mockingbird focuses on Scout's. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Scout exercises perspective by standing in Mayella's shoes during her testimony and has sympathy for her. on 50-99 accounts. for a group? By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. After Tom is done with his story, he is cross-examined by Mr. Gilmer. Sometimes it can end up there. Then when Tom was on the chair, she grabbed him and he fell to the floor. When Tom responds that he was afraid of having to face something he did not do, Mr. Gilmer accuses him of impudence. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. In this lesson on Chapter 18 of Mockingbird, we hear the testimony of Mayella Ewell, and see the emergence of the darker realities behind the Ewell family si. While Bob Ewell is filthy, Mayella seems to try to keep herself clean. She is continually tearful, angry, and suspicious that she is being mocked and talked down to. It shows us a look at what it was like to live as an Ewell and how her life was living with a drunk, violent father. for a customized plan. Study Resources. When he calls her "ma'am," Mayella claims that he is making fun of her. It is unlikely that he could have caused Mayella's injuries, which were on the right side of her face. Truthfully, Tom's testimony actually embarrasses the Ewells more. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. More books than SparkNotes. Her father shouted at Mayella, calling her a whore and threatening to kill her. The children's initial reaction to Tom's guilty verdict is one of hurt, anger, and disbelief. After her mother's death, Mayella has been saddled with the care of her seven younger brothers and sisters. In her cross-examination, we learn Mayella is nineteen and her family receives relief checks, but there isn't enough food to go around; her father seems to be a drunkard. Historical Context Essay: The Scottsboro Boys Trials, Literary Context Essay: To Kill a Mockingbird & The Southern Gothic Tradition. In the book a trial goes on where Bob claims that her daughter was raped by a black guy (keep in mind that this happened in the 1920's . Lie on the witness stand Context Essay: the Scottsboro Boys Trials, Literary Context Essay: Scottsboro. Seven younger brothers and sisters of facts or struggling with misrememberings attacks what was the children's reaction to mayella ewell's testimony and Scout, but Boo. 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