Mayella Social Issues

Words: 1026
Pages: 5

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella is assaulted by her father, and she has to place the blame on an innocent man, many people in real life are also in a similar unfortunate situation. Throughout the story, Harper Lee covers many social and economic issues such as racism, poverty, and the judicial system. The example I will be covering is her writing about abuse and sexual assault. Not many authors cover this topic, as it can be uncomfortable to speak out and write about. Abuse as well as assault is a sensitive topic and can be hard to talk about for some people. When it comes to writing about To Kill A Mockingbird, I've noticed that the main topic covered is racism. Although I do think this should be talked about, Abuse and Assault …show more content…
In this paper, I will be breaking down how Lee chose to write this case, exactly what happened in the story, and how it is very accurate to the real world. In the story, Mayella’s father is drunk, and the town is aware of this. Throughout the chapters, we see him and his irresponsible actions. He is never kind nor giving to others, he doesn't make good choices when it comes to his family, and his children are not portrayed as happy and healthy, indicating them being surrounded by an unsafe environment. In chapter 16, it is revealed that Atticus will be taking a case, the case being a black man named Tom accused of Attacking and Assaulting a girl named Mayella. In chapter 17 Heck Tate talks about the night of November 21, when Mayella was supposedly attacked by Tom. “Found her lying on the floor in the middle of the front room, one on the right as you go in. She was pretty well beaten up, but I heaved her to her feet and she washed her face in a bucket in the corner and said she was all right. I asked her to hurt her and she said it was Tom Robinson. I asked her if he beat her up like that, and she said he