For centuries, countries have fought each other for power. Whether arguing over who is in control of their nation or who actually owns territory, struggles for dominance have been commonplace throughout history, involving not just countries as a whole, but their individual settlers. Power can be defined as the amount of control you have over your own life or the lives of others. Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird revolves around the trial of Tom Robinson, a young African American living in the South during the Great Depression. Tom is accused of sexual and physical assault against a young white woman, Mayella Ewell, who claims he beat and raped her. Although all the evidence against him can be refuted and points to his father, Bob Ewell, as the perpetrator, Tom is still found guilty and sentenced to death because he is African-American. Although Mayella's race gives her power in the courtroom, overall, she is powerless in the eyes of society because she lives in poverty and her father controls her through constant abuse. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The poverty in the Ewells' residence is only one reason why they are seen as a lower class in society and a reason why Mayella is powerless. The Ewell family is poor, ignorant and dirty. They live on welfare and all the money they have is used to buy alcohol for Bob Ewell, who is a drunk. Mayella desperately tries to escape the lower class that her family fits into, as her socioeconomic status prevents her from fitting in with the white people of Maycomb, but her race prevents her from fitting in with the African-American community. An attempt to escape her class is Mayella's garden, which contains "six chipped enamel jars containing bright red geraniums, tended as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie", in stark contrast to Ewell's otherwise disgusting and dilapidated. (143). Finding pleasure in beautiful and material things, Mayella's desire for a better and more beautiful life is revealed. She wants to see something beyond what she has seen around her all her life; he wants an escape route. Her failure to do so successfully is what allows her to be considered powerless, as she has no control over where she stands in the social hierarchy of Maycomb, Alabama. Likewise, Mayella tries to escape her class by "look[ing] like she's trying to keep herself clean" (151). Lee indirectly characterizes her as someone who actually cares about her appearance, in stark contrast to the rest of the Ewell family, who don't care about anything. This sets her apart from her family as she seeks to be seen as more than an Ewell. These attempts to rise above her family and their reputation for low class and bad quality are ultimately failures, as when the court case is adjourned, despite her "victory", Mayella's existence is dismissed as nothing more than she was before the trial, showing that she has no control over herself and considers her helpless as she continues to live with her father and suffer abuse from him. Another reason Mayella Ewell is helpless is because her father controls her through abuse. Throughout the trial it is alluded to, and in some cases even expressly stated, that Mayella is the victim of physical, verbal and sexual abuse at the hands of her father, Bob. According to Tom Robinson's testimony, Mayella claimed to be inexperienced with men, stating that she "says what her father does to her doesn't matter", implying that Bob Ewell forces himself on hersexually (164). Mr. Ewell takes control of Mayella's body, doing what he wishes with it, and her refusal of these actions to "count" reflects an obvious lack of reciprocity on her part, as well as a lack of power over herself and on his body. Additionally, when Mr. Ewell sees Mayella kissing Tom Robinson, he humiliates her, saying "you damn whore, I'll kill you!" alerting readers to both verbal and emotional abuse, as he said this while the company was present, leading one to conclude that the abuse could be worse when doors are closed (164). Significantly, verbal and emotional abuse can create a situation of "learned helplessness" in the victim's mind, which occurs when a victim of abuse begins to believe that there is no solution or escape from their problems, so they do not try to do nothing about it. them, allowing the abuser to exercise full control over them and relinquishing power over themselves. Furthermore, Atticus demonstrates that Mayella was beaten by a left-handed person, which describes Bob Ewell and not Tom, whose left hand is “useless” and “rubber-like” (161). Along with the threat to kill his daughter, a strong likelihood is created that Mr. Ewell is beating and physically abusing her, proving once again that Mayella has no control over herself and her body. Atticus asks her during the trial if her father is good to her, to which Bob Ewell "stands straight and waits for her answer" (155). When Mayella looks at him, she feels uncomfortable and denies that he has ever been intolerable in his behavior towards her. The above evidence paints a picture of Mr Ewell's abuse of his daughter and the environment in which she must have been raised. Victims of abuse tend to see their abusers as all-powerful and let themselves be controlled by them, since there seems to be no other way. to avoid damage. This is the case of Mayella Ewell. Mr. Ewell relaxes when she denies these accusations, but it becomes clear to the reader that her father is controlling what is said on the witness stand and allows one to conclude that Mayella is both a victim and a pawn of her father with no control over her. him. herself, demonstrating that she is powerless. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Because she is white, Mayella won her case in court, wrongly sentencing Tom Robinson to execution. However, she has no overall power because she has no control over herself, an idea that stems from her family's inevitable poverty and the control Bob Ewell exerts over her. Although the idea of ​​Mayella symbolizing a mockingbird is not popular among Tom Robinson sympathizers, it can be justified, because she is an innocent girl driven to commit a social crime by her desire to feel loved and receive positive attention from someone. Mr. Ewell's return and his subsequent beating can be considered the killing of the mockingbird and the end of her innocence as she is then pressured by her father to file criminal charges against Tom for an alleged rape and battery that never occurred. Mayella Ewell is truly a victim of her circumstances. Works Cited Lee, H. (1960). To kill a thrush. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.Johnson, C. (2015). Power and powerlessness in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Mississippi Quarterly, 68(1-2), 107-130.Ostrom, H. (2013). Read Power and Powerlessness: The Characters of To Kill a Mockingbird. The Journal of General Education, 62(3-4), 259-274. Schuder, R. (2014). The Powerful Voice of Helplessness: A Study of To Kill a Mockingbird. Education and Culture, 30(1), 9-23.Fiori, DM (2018). Powerlessness and its effects on the characters of To Kill a Mockingbird. Journal of Social and Political Sciences,, 13(1).