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

In ​To Kill A Mockingbird​, have you ever thought of why Mayella was so powerful in the

trial of Tom Robinson? In ​To Kill A Mockingbird,​ the setting of the trial takes place in Maycomb

county, Alabama in the 1930s. The trial is about Tom Robinson, black man, being accused of the

rape of Mayella, a poor, white girl. In this story Mayella is defined as a powerful character do to

her ability to use race, gender, and class to win the trial. The three reasons from ​To Kill a

Mockingbird​ that allow Mayella to be a powerful character are race, gender, and class.

The first reason that describes Mayella as a powerful character is how she uses her race to

faver herself to the jury. According to document D, Atticus states “the evil assumption that all

negroes lie, that all negroes are immoral beings.” This quote is significant because in this scene

Atticus is telling the jury that Mayella and Bob Ewell are going by the assumption that all blacks

are evil. This makes Mayella powerful because since she’s white the jury will most likely believe

her over Tom Robinson because he is black.

The second reason that allows Mayella to be a powerful character is gender. According to

document B, Tom Robinson states “I didn’t want to harm her, Mr.Finch, an’ I say lemme pass.”

This quote means that black males were not to have any inappropriate contact with young white

girls. Mayella uses this to her advantage to make her a powerful character by breaking this law

and accused Tom Robinson of raping her.

The final reason that describes Mayella as a powerful character is her social class.

According to document A, Scout has the thought that “Mayella looked as if she tried to keep

clean, and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard.” This thought from

Scout means that Mayella is hiding an important event that happened, but uses her poor social
class to cover it up. This thought matters because it shows how Mayella is able to use her poor

social class to make it look like she isn’t lying because she has nothing to lose.

In conclusion, Mayella is a powerful character in ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ which leads her

to winning the trial. Mayella is a powerful character because she is able to use race, gender, and

class to win the trial against Tom Robinson.