tkam — tom/ mayella (2/14)

Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson are more alike than most people in Maycomb would like to believe. They are both considered trash in the community, and are both abused in some way. People consider the Ewells trash because they live near the black community and the dump, and they don’t have many social skills. Tom is a black man, so white people automatically consider him trash. Mayella is abused by her father, and is forced to do most of the work in the house by herself, because none of her siblings will help her. Tom is also abused, by the people in Maycomb, because he was accused of raping a white woman, which is unspeakable.

However, even though they are somewhat alike, they are still very unalike in some ways. The most obvious reason is that Mayella is white, and Tom is black. Even if the Ewells are not the most highly respected family in the town, they are still considered to be better than the black people. Tom, even though not accepted by the white community, is still acknowledged by the blacks. Mayella, on the other hand, is considered strange, and is offended when people are polite to her, because she thinks they are mocking her.

It seems that Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell are more alike than the citizens of Maycomb think. They do have some differences, but in the end, they are both abused and thought of as outcasts in the town. They both find some comfort in one another, even though they don’t want to admit it.