has
learned well fromthe importance of empathy, of putting oneself in other people's shoes. And she
applies this lesson to Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell. She understands that both of them are
victims, albeit in different ways. Tom's the victim of widespread racial prejudice, whereas
Mayella, hailing from the notorious Ewell clan, is universally despised as "white
trash."
Scout realizes that Mayella's in an especially vulnerable
position due to her being completely alone. Tom has Atticus to defend him, but Mayella has no
one. In convicting Tom of her rape and assault, the jury didn't so much believe Mayella as act
on their ingrained prejudices. A black man was accused of raping a white woman, and as far as
they were concerned, that's all they needed to know.
Even though Scout's
still only a young girl, she instinctively understands that Tom's trial is nothing but a
travesty of justice. Her childlike sense of right and wrong is offended by this miscarriage of
justice against...
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