The setting of To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the southern town of ​town of Maycomb, 

Alabama in the 1930s.  

 
Tom Robinson is an African American male. He was accused of raping and a white 
woman named Mayella Ewell, however he was innocent.  
 
Mayella Ewell, is a poor, white woman that lives a very lonely life. She accuses Tom 
Robinson of taking advantage of her after her father sees her hugging Tom.  
 
Jim Crow Laws- Laws that were created to keep African Americans from receiving 
equal rights. These laws were created and enforced in southern states to discriminate 
and segregate against African Americans. 
 
Convicted- to be found guilty of a crime and sentenced to a punishment. 
 
Power- control or influence over another person or thing.  
 
Class- a system of ranking people within a society based on some quality like wealth.   
 
Gender- the assignment of expectations based on whether a person is male or female.  
 
Race- a group of people that share the same ancestry.  
 
 
The people of Maycomb bewildered and confused by the fact the Ewell’s lived in a 
shack that was run down and drab, yet Mayella’s flowers were vibrant and full of life. 
The two things contrast each other.  
 
Scout is reminded the geranium flowers were full of life because Mayella cared for 
them. Mayella attempted to keep clean to rise above her circumstances and the 
geranium flowers were an example. 
 
Bob Ewell thought the town would be grateful for his actions of helping to convict a 
Negro, but the people of the town did not want to be reminded of the poor and low class 
people around the town and wanted him go back to where he came from.  
 
This means that Mayella’s life will likely stay the same. Her life will not be changed for 
the better by having trial.  
 
To Kill a Mockingbird tells a complex story through the point of view of an innocent 
child. The story of Mayella Ewell and how race, gender and class play a role in the 
community of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s Mayella’s power in the story is limited 
but real.   
The setting of the story in the south helps establish that race and racism is a very real 
part of the community. In 1930’s Jim Crow laws were in place to continue to keep the 
races separated. The laws that were created to keep African Americans from receiving 
equal rights. These laws were created and enforced in southern states to discriminate 
and segregate against African Americans. Mayella is very aware that she is white and 
with that comes some power and privilege. Her race alone gives her a certain amount 
of power over other races, because of the time and place of the story.  
 
Mayella’s gender also helps her have power in her the way that she was actually the one 
that pursue a relationship with Tom Robinson. During the time, women were not the 
ones that often pursued men. Gender roles during the time of the story were seen as 
housewives or caretakers of the men. When Mayella pursued Tom she would have 
known that the community would not believe she was the one that went after Tom 
because she is a woman and women did not behave that way. Her gender gave her the 
power of believability. The community and others believed her story because she was a 
woman and she fit into the gender role established by the community.  
 
The classes of Maycomb are like much of the world with the lowest classes being 
powerless. Mayella and her father are one of the lowest classes in Maycomb, but not 
the lowest. Jem describes the classes of Maycomb “Quote from GEM ”. Even though 
the Ewells are dirt poor, they are still considered higher class than the blacks. Mayella 
knows that if she would be judged if she were accusing any other white or higher class 
person of rape. So she has power over only one group of people. Only one group is 
considered untrusted more that her and that is the blacks. (Quote from Doc D) 
 
Mayella and her power would not hold up against any other person, but because Tom is 
a poor, black male, she has power over him. When measured against other’s power, 
Mayella still doesn’t have much, but because of the time and place she is able to use 
hers to help convict Tom and make herself look better in the eyes of the community. 
She has power over the most powerless people, which is nothing really.