Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

How would you feel if your life was altered because of your name? How do you think your life would be affected? In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the identity of Mayella Ewell was shaped by her last name. In Maycomb County, Alabama, there are last name stereotypes to separate social classes. Mayella Ewell’s life was shaped differently because she was a Ewell and her family is considered poor and low class in Maycomb. The Ewells are considered low class because of their living habits and the fact that most of them are uneducated and do not go to school. Mayella Ewell, who is nineteen, lives a miserable and lonely life. She is despised by whites and prohibited from being friends with blacks. Mayella tries to break the stereotype …show more content…
Having the last name Ewell means that you are poor, uneducated and you only go to school on the first day each year. The Ewell family is considered “poor white trash” and the only people lower than them in the town were the blacks. “He’s one of the Ewells, ma’am…They come the first day every year and then leave…You’re supposed to mark ‘em absent the rest of the year…” (Page 36). Scout and her classmates had to explain to their new teacher, who is not from Maycomb, how children from the Ewell family only come to school on the first day. If you are a Ewell you are expected to only come into school on the first day, and are not expected for the rest of the year. The children stay at home and help to get food. Because they cannot come to school due to chores at home, they cannot get an education. Not having an educations keeps them from getting a job and making money when they become an adult and have a family of their …show more content…
“…for the Ewells gave the dump a thorough gleaning every day, and the fruits of their industry (those that were not eaten) made the plot of ground around the cabin look like the playhouse of an insane child…” (Page 228). The Ewell property was referred to as a dump throughout Maycomb, but Mayella tries to make the yard seem nicer by planting flowers along the fence. “Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson…People said they were Mayella Ewell’s.” (Page 228). Mayella is trying to break her stereotype, which is something that cannot be done in Maycomb. Even though Mayella planted the flowers she is still looked down on. She does not like how her life is and wants to break the stereotype which makes her seem like a slob. However, Mayella cannot go out and try to get a job or go to school to become educated because she has to take care of all of her siblings. Mayella’s mother died when she was young, and her father takes the money the family gets from welfare checks and goes out drinking, not caring for his

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To Kill A Mockingbird Stereotypes