According to the book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, I believe Tom Robinson is innocent. The crime that Tom Robinson is getting charged for is that he had raped Mayella Ewell. There are many reasons of why I believe Tom Robinson is not guilty. For instance, Tom Robinson’s left arm was not strong enough nor working, so he didn’t have the strength to do what Mr. Ewell and Mayella said he did. One reason why it is believed that Mayella was raped was because she had said, “I said come here nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me” (Lee 241). This is what she said, but Tom Robinson had a different story. His story said, that Mayella told him, “Step on that chair yonder and get the box from ontop of that chifferobe” (Lee 241). So hearing this we can see that someone is lying. I believe it is Mayella that is lying because her body language in the courtroom was nervous and sneaky. A quote that supports this is, “She had twisted her handkerchief into a sweaty rope” (Lee 241 ). Also, Atticus had asked Bob Ewell if he …show more content…
For example, Mr Ewell says, “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin on my Mayella” (Lee 231). When he said this, he was pointing at Tom Robinson which means he recognized the face he saw that night. Also, previously “Tom Robinson received thirty days for disorderly conduct” (Lee 254). Since he was charged already,the town could make the inference that he did it again but this time to Mayella. As you can see, Tom Robinson is getting a false charge just because he is colored. Back then segregation was a problem. It is surprising that the Ewell’s would make a lie just to get Tom Robinson killed. This is because on page 257, it says “Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her. So, knowing this, Tom would have no motive in hurting Mayella if he was the only one who was nice to her. This is why I believe Bob Ewell abused his own daughter instead of Tom
(Lee 251). “It was too late” (Cockburn 3). The cross-examination between Mayella and Atticus indubitably shows that Atticus is giving her an opportunity to end the dishonesty. Despite being given the opportunity, to tell the truth, she chose the latter. Mayella had no consolation that she’d escape Bob unscathed, consequently losing hope of being free from the taut grapple Bob has on her lifeline.
Harper Lee states, “He stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson.” _ I seen that black yonder ruttin’ on Mayella”!!. Since he was black he got accused of something that he actually didn’t do. This quote is saying that, they saw him, and they are calling him
The Trial of Tom Robinson In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is explored, and you are able to consider every factor in Tom Robinson’s trial. Tom Robinson, a black male, was accused of raping a white woman in the small county of Maycomb, Alabama. The woman was he was accused of raping is named Mayella Ewell.
Ayla Whitaker Mrs. Appleton English 9A 19 November 2015 Innocent Victim vs. Truly Guilty Mayella Ewell was a 19 year old girl who lived in the small, quiet town of Maycomb. Her life was hard and she was extremely lonely. She accused Tom Robinson, a kind, humble black man, of raping her. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the character of Mayella Ewell to show the difference between an innocent victim and one who is truly guilty.
Tom Robinson is saying this quote because, he is trying to defend himself on the stand. Tom knows that he did not rape Mayella so he is trying to get his point across the jury and judge that he is innocent of the rape of Mayella Ewell.. Tom should not have felt bad for a white woman because she has to chores. Mayella should have told Tom that that was part of her daily life. “ The evil assumption- that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all negro men are not to be trusted around women”.
Tom Robinson has been falsely accused of rape over a father covering up his abuse. But because of his skin color he lost his defense and had been sentenced to death. Tom is a kind nice man and has been set to court because of Bob Ewell accusing him of raping his daughter. He has brought his daughter to his side but the reality is, Bob Ewell abused his daughter Mayela and putting the blame on Bob because he is black man and knows he will win in court. The fact that Tom is a black man and Bob is a white man, it would be for sure that Bob would win because of his race.
Tom Robinson best reflects a mockingbird, illustrated through his guilty conviction despite his innocence during the trial, the mob attempting to lynch him at the jailhouse, and his wrongful murder by a prison guard. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters symbolize a Mockingbird, but Tom Robinson, hands down, most represents the characteristics and traits of a Mockingbird, which shows through his innocence and bravery. Tom Robinson is a Negro man who faces racism throughout his life and never has a fair shot because of the color of his skin. Tom Robinson is on trial, accused of beating and raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. The prosecution has no substantial evidence to prove Tom was liable, however, a jury
Then some people thought that Tom was innocent but the judge decided to make Tom go to prison. In the book it said that Mayella hugged and kissed Tom on the cheek. From this I can infer that Mayella is desperate and can get away with this because Tom Robinson is a black person. This reminds me of a couple southern movies I’ve watched where black people are always the first to suspect because of their color. Tom Robinson on trial for his life said Bob Ewell yelled “whore I’ll kill you” when he saw Mayella kiss Tom from the window.
The fictional story, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee includes an evil character, Bob Ewell. The story takes place in Maycomb, a southern town in Alabama in the 1930s. The Ewell family is among the poorest in Maycomb, and is low on Maycomb’s social hierarchy. The family name is not very reputable. Bob Ewell is a drunken father of the family.
Everyone in the courthouse on the night of the trial knew that Tom Robinson was innocent. But at the end of the trial, that didn’t matter. Tom Robinson was a black man, and because of this difference that should not make a difference, he had no say over the family of whites, the Ewells. Tom Robinson was wrongly convicted of raping and beating Mayella Ewell. The evidence of the case leads to the conclusion that Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father was responsible for this misfortune.
Perception defines the world around you. It affects every aspect of your being: your thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc… In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch begins to understand just how impactful perception can be as she witnesses the deterioration of the dignity of Tom Robinson, a black man who is being tried for the rape of a white girl. In this intriguing read, Harper Lee demonstrates the theme of inaccurate allegations very effectively. More specifically, when inaccurate allegations that are solely based on perceptions are presented, the consequences can be significant, for others may suffer at great lengths.
Tom was accused of raping a white woman who was Mayella Ewell, Mayella said he raped her while he was helping her with chores. She later on tells the readers that it was false allegations. The reason why she didn 't tell the truth at her first trial was because, Mayella was afraid of being embarrassed because she kissed a black male. She rather have an innocent man get charged with a crime than that. “However, Robinson was transferred from the state prison to Maycomb 's county jail on Saturday, two days before he stood trial on Monday, and Atticus had to defend him against a lynch mob”.
The Ewells could have been lying because most likely Mayella tempted Tom. Back then if you were involved with a colored person you were disgraced by the whole town. Mayella could have been trying to cover this up and get Tom arrested so he wouldn't be able to tell anyone. The jury convicted Tom Robinson because he was colored and back then white people believed they had to stick together against the colored people. This shows that based on the evidence Tom Robinson was only convicted because of his skin color.
The whites don’t accept the Ewells because they live like pigs. The blacks don’t accept the Ewells because they are white. Scout stated, “... Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world… When Atticus asked had she any friends, she seemed not to know what he meant, then she thought he was making fun of her… Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her.
In this paragraph I will be questioning the Ewells’ reasoning for lying. While reading the court scenes, I got the feeling that Mayella and Bob had separate motives for trying to convict Tom. There are quite a few reasons that Bob would want Tom Robinson convicted. His most demanding motive would have to be the need to cover up the fact that he abuses his children.