“You’re a strong girl, what were you doing all the time, just standing there?” (Ch17-20)

Mayella is the one that is on the stand.  What she does is lie to the court and say that Tom Robinson raped her. She’s ashamed that she has to go for a black man and she can’t find someone that is her own color. Her ability to make an innocent man go to jail shows that the town is unable to stop segregation from happening. Mayella is someone that does not have any morals because she basically is an example of one of the forces in the book that is cruel. It seems like she can’t get her story right. This shows the indifference of someone that is clearly wrong, not getting blamed for wrong doing.

Mayella was the one that was in control of Tom Robinson. If she was clearly being molested, she would have done something to stop it. However, the fact that Atticus presents does not do so much to help with her story. She could have screamed or tried to protect herself. However, she did not; proving that her story is completely false.

Unbalanced Courtroom Image (Ch17-20)

I choose the picture of a scale that is already unbalanced. This represents the fact that Tom Robinson has an unbalanced chance to win the case because he is black. The  courtroom has an all white jury which makes it even more unbalanced! Atticus himself said he has no chance to win the case. Bob Ewell is defending Mayella who simply lied about the entire rape case because she was ashamed. The racially divided times of this era (Great Depression) show the deep ignorance we had and still have partly. This image represents the entire case and this section of the book. All courts and cases should have a balanced scale but this is sadly not the case. Even in modern day America, this is still sometimes the case.

Prejudice, Immorality, and Shame (Ch17-20)

For this section of this book, I choose the aspect of the fact that Mayella accused Tom Robinson of raping her simply because she was too ashamed to admit that she wanted Tom to kiss her. In these racially separated times, Mayella Ewell is simply afraid to admit that she was the person that was going for Tom Robinson and not the other way around. Mayella Ewell scared Tom Robinson, hugged him, and then asked him to kiss her. When they were caught, she was scared and made up the entire story of being raped by him. Atticus, simply doing the right thing, is trying to  defend someone who is innocent. Sadly, this is hard in these racially segregated times. An innocent black man is basically guilty for being black. I think Mayella is totally wrong and a coward for doing what she did. She was selfish and willing to put Tom at risk. I don’t see her nor Bob Ewell as very good people. I think people of this time need to wise up and stop being so ignorant.

Throughout the book we see racism. We see simple things from the Church that Calpurnia took the children too to more intense racism such as the Tom Robinson  case. These people are  followers and don’t form their own opinions of the people. I think Mayella needs to apologize for what she did as it was very drastic. Tom Robinson did nothing wrong expect for being black. He was born black and that is not under his control. This aspect is nothing short of expected. The entire book shows the era of the Great Depression in which prejudice was the norm. I think people need to wise up.

“Maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to run off to…” (Ch13-16)

In this section, Dill asks Scout why Boo Radley never left his house or Maycomb. In this case, we see the citizens as “stuck” because of such a profound ancestry. Even if they could have left, they don’t have anywhere to go. The people are so affected by evil, which they mistakenly start to inflict it on others. Dill remains affected by the cruelty he sees in Boo Radley. Dill is a prime example of innocence, threatened by the concept of racism and neglect. Maybe that’s why he can relate himself to other people because he sees part of himself in them. You don’t really see the reason why people act the way they do. Therefore, you don’t understand the reason why people hate blacks or the other way around. We are not given a substantial reason as to why Maycomb is the way it is, but we can start to see it as the real theme in the book. Even the innocent, is still conquered by evil. We don’t know why, but it just is.

Seeing in Black and White (Ch17-20)

In this section of the book, we see the indifference presented with Dill, Scout, and Jem. We can solely represent them as innocent figures in the wicked town of Maycomb. With the Tom Robinson trial, the children sit in the “colored” section. I would like to point out how the court is separated. Even though this country is supposed to be united, we still see the existence of segregation and how people are still “separate and not equal.” Therefore, we are presented with a racist judge and a biased jury. Everything is different in Maycomb. Even the language and church is separated, just because “whites” can not distinguish their ignorance for which they throw upon blacks. Maycomb is filled with so much history; the town is “too white and too black.” People are affected by evil. They only see in black and white. When, consequently, they need to see in color, which will help them see the brighter side of things. Tom Robinson will not win the trial, even when he is innocent. This is due to the color of his skin. We see how even the innocent is still preceded after evil. During the cross-examination, Dill and Scout have to leave the courtroom because Dill started to cry. The town of Maycomb, a historical place, is still trapped in the past. It hasn’t developed or progressed. Cruelty is presented with such clarity in the Tom Robinson trial, which we start to believe that evil does conquer all.