Examples Of Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

How do you define power when it comes to race, class, and gender? Mayella has some power in To Kill A Mockingbird because she is a white female, however in class she is at the very bottom. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. All families were just coming out of the Great Depression, everyone was poor some were more than others. For Mayella she was very poor. When it comes to race Mayella has power. In race Mayella has power. She is white and in the 1930’s being white meant having power. When everyone walks into the courtroom they notice the jury is all white. Everyone knew a all white jury would decide in favor of a colored man over a white man. Tom was guilty before the trial, Mayella already won the case. The evil assumption all whites thought was all negroes lie, all negroes are basically immoral beings, and all negro men are not to be trusted around our women. This showed how white women have power over colored men and women. In Alabama in the 1930’s everyone would pick the white over any colored person it did not matter if they were guilty or not. When it comes to …show more content…
She is a female. When Mayella is on the stand Atticus asks her if she loves her father and she says he is tollable which means not so bad except when he is drinking. Mayella says she has never kissed a grown man before but what her papa does does not count. The whole courtroom looks at Bob Ewell and he looks mad and the you better not say another word look. This plays into her favor because now everyone knows that her father abuses her and they feel sorry because she is a woman that is being abused by her own father. When Atticus is questioning Mayella he calls her ma’am and Mayella is offended by it. She kept saying he is making fun of me and I do not have to take his sas. Mayella never had anyone respect her like that so she thought he was mocking her. However, when it comes to class Mayella does not have much

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