Monday, October 5, 2015
Free response post... Why does Mayella think Atticus is mocking her? (Julia Lang)
Although Mayella is nearly twenty years old, she rarely associates with other people outside of her house and when she is in her house she spends her days picking up around the house. Mrs. Ewell passed away a long time ago making Mayella the women of the house and picking up as best as she can from her brother and sisters. Mayella rarely experiences any attention or affection aside from when Tom Robinson occasionally passes by. In court when Atticus calls her "ma'am" and "Ms. Mayella" she mistakes it for sarcasm because she has never been treated with respect or empathy. Atticus is a very respectful gentlemen, but because she has never experienced this she believed that he was making fun of her. In court Mayella didn't realize this and maybe she never will. All she heard it as was him being rude "-your ma'amin' and Miss Mayellerin' don't come to nothin', Mr. Finch-" (Lee 251). Judge Taylor then assures her that it was only Mr. Finches way and he was only trying to be polite.
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Adding on to what Julia said, I think when Mayella is describing her life at home, it is clear she is unappreciated, and unloved. She is so used to being treated like garbage, that when Atticus tries to be kind and gentleman like, she thinks he's making fun of her. She never had a real parental figure or anyone that felt empathy for her, causing her to be a socially awkward, misfit of a young adult.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what both Goose and Julia said. Atticus acts in a way that most don't, he treats everyone with respect no matter what. Mayella isn't used to this respects because she's an Ewell, the town looks down on the family. Since she's never been treated with respect she immediately thinks that Atticus is mocking her and gets upset. What I found interesting is when Mr. Gilmer was disrespecting Tom Robinson, when he was calling him 'boy' and being rude. Tom Robinson took it, because he's experienced it before, it sort of shows the difference between him and Mayella.
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ReplyDeleteEven though she is almost 20 years old, Mayell has never had friends, a family that cared about her, or has met anyone who treats her with respect. She thinks Atticus is mocking her by addressing her as "Miss Mayella" and "ma'am". She has probably never been shown any real attention or kindness aside from when Tom Robinson stopped by to help her out. I think she is more confused than anything else when she lashes out at Atticus and probably is mistaking the way he is treating her for sarcasm. Atticus is a good person and treats Mayella as respectfully as he would any other person he might meet on the street, but having never been treated with respect before, she believes he was "makin' fun o' me... I don't hafta take his sass.” (Lee 243) She doesn’t even understand what Atticus mens when he asks her if she has friends.
ReplyDeleteI think that Mayella's behavior on the stand proves that she has never been treated like a human being in her life. Because of the sexual abuse her father has inflicted on her she has begun to see herself as an object, something with no value, and no dignity. She most likely felt that Atticus was making fun of her because she had never been respected, and the shock of being treated like a person makes her question the reason Atticus man who has ever been kind to her was Tom when he offered to help her for free. Mayella most likely attached significance to him, and saw him as a kind man, something she probably began to think was impossible due to her father's appalling behavior.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think that maybe terms like "ma'am" or "Ms. Mayella" may have been used in her house to mock her, making her think that Atticus is mocking her when he says these things. These terms would have been used because Mayella has become the woman of the house. doing the things that a mother would do.
ReplyDeleteMayella thinks that Atticus is mocking her because she is not used to being around people and how they act. She doesn't know what it's like when people are respecting her. As Scout says, she really is a lonely girl. Mayella never had any friends or anyone who treats her normally. All of this time her dad has been abusive to her which shows that she really isn't used to respect. She's used to people mocking or being rude to her. It seems like Mayella doesn't have a great life especially at home. It's like she is filling in for the mom with kids and most of the time they don't treat her well. Atticus wasn't mocking her at all because he treats everyone with respect like Sharon said.
ReplyDeleteI think that what happened was Mayella, like what Emily said, wasn't at all used to being around people and frankly treated with any sorts of respect. This was because of the family she grew up in, the Ewells, were abusive and rude. Also, I doubt that Mayella had ever even talked to someone for that long before and she felt scared and out of place.
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