Mayella's Direct and Cross Examination

    In the beginning of chapter 18 Mayella went up to the witness stand and she looked innocent at first but when she started to sit and speak everyone knew that she was filthy. Mr. Gilmer started telling Mayella what happened in her point of view. Mayella told Tom Robinson to come over and chop some wood for a nickel. When Mayella went to get her nickle she claimed that Tom went behind her and started choking and beating her. The next thing she knew Tom Robinson was gone and she saw her father stand in front of her asking who did it. Both stories that Bob and Mayella told were different from each other because Bob said he witnessed the rape happen but Mayella told everyone that Bob told her who raped her which means that one of the witnesses are lying. Mayella started getting emotional so that it would affect the jury into thinking that they must protect the poor girl. There was nothing further so Atticus was called up to preform the cross examination.

    Atticus was addressing Mayella to "miss", but she didn't like being called "miss" because she thought that Atticus was mocking her and making fun of her. Judge Taylor had to jump in to tell Mayella that Atticus is just being polite in his way. Atticus started asking Mayella about her personal life like if she had any friends or if she knew what love was. I thought this was sad because she has never experience friendship and love in her life because of her dysfunctional family. When Atticus told Mayella if her father ever beat her she took a pause and told him that her father has never laid a finger on her. The slight pause was indicating that her father has beat her and it could of been her father who has beaten her instead of Tom. Atticus then told Mayella that his memory was foggy and he wanted her to answer his questions truthfully. When Atticus told Mayella if she was sure that Tom beat her, she said she was completely sure. Atticus then told Tom to stand up and it appears that his left arm has been damaged and it is shorter than his right hand. Everything connects and it proves that Tom wasn't the person that beat Mayella because it is physically impossible for him to beat Mayella and choke her.

    I thought Atticus was very clever because he just connected everything together that made sense and he didn't use a lot emotion to just try and win the trial. He used the sense of doubt and evidence to show everyone that Tom wasn't the one who beat Mayella. It was likely Bob that beat Mayella because he is left handed and not disabled in any way. This could possibly move onto a new trial that Mayella's father was the one who beat her. Atticus also showed that Bob isn't a good father and he would even go far to beat his own daughter up just to accuse a man that is innocent. I think this is wrong and messed up just to go far to accuse someone who is innocent. I think that Bob should have charges against him because of what he did. It was embarrassing for the Ewells because the trial basically told everyone much more than just a rape. It showed that Bob is a terrible father and why his children are so filthy and rude.