It might be difficult to be sympathetic to Mayella
considering this lie costs Tom his life and perpetuates the racist tendencies of the
town. She is certainly at fault for this.
But she is the
victim of disadvantaged circumstances. First, her father is abusive. Second, she is
raising all her siblings by herself. She essentially is her father's servant. Since the
Ewell children don't go to school, the reader surmises that Mayella has no reason to
leave the house. It may be the case that Tom Robinson is the only kind person that has
reached out to her. Whether she mistakes Tom's kindness, takes advantage of Tom, or just
reaches out for a friend - in attempting to seduce him -, and she is rebuffed, this can
only add to her sense of isolation and loneliness. When she lies in court, it is to
avoid the wrath of her father, and perhaps more importantly to avoid the scorn of the
town andthe embarrassment of being rejected by Tom. She would be faced with a worse kind
of contempt than what Atticus faced for representing Tom.
No comments:
Post a Comment