To Kill a Mockingbird
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- Category: English: Novels
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Loneliness Literary Analysis Essay
Mayella Ewell, another victim who resembles loneliness is mentioned largely in the novel. The poor girl didn’t have any friends and was considered “trash” to most Maycomb citizens. When asked if she had any by Atticus, she responded by saying, “Friends? You makin’ fun o’me agin, Mr. Finch?” (183) Not only was she friendless, but she blamed an innocent black man, Tom Robinson of sexually abusing her. Such events did not occur; instead, she seduced a black man. Nobody in Maycomb would ever hear of such atrocities; only a lonely person would resort to such actions. To convict a black man who’s done nothing wrong to her, but instead, help her out, was a cry of attention for affection. Mayella Ewell had nothing. She lived by a dump next to Negroes, had no mother, and her father beat her. One might ponder, “Why would someonewith so many playful brothers and sisters be so lonely to do what she did?” Ms. Ewell did not have anyone to love, or anyone she could be affectionate with. She was lonely in that sense which caused her to perform such actions.
Loneliness could best be described as an emotional state in which someone experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. But we all have our different perspectives and different ways of dealing with loneliness. Boo Radley dealt with his loneliness by protecting and nurturing Jem and Scout. Mayella Ewell dealt with her loneliness by seducing a black man. Dolphus Raymond dealt with his loneliness by being a fake drunk. Why did Harper Lee incorporate loneliness in her novel? Maybe she did so to contrast it with Jem and Scout’s relationship. Could she have also possibly done it to reveal something about human nature; that we’re all at one time or another lonely?
Mayella Ewell, another victim who resembles loneliness is mentioned largely in the novel. The poor girl didn’t have any friends and was considered “trash” to most Maycomb citizens. When asked if she had any by Atticus, she responded by saying, “Friends? You makin’ fun o’me agin, Mr. Finch?” (183) Not only was she friendless, but she blamed an innocent black man, Tom Robinson of sexually abusing her. Such events did not occur; instead, she seduced a black man. Nobody in Maycomb would ever hear of such atrocities; only a lonely person would resort to such actions. To convict a black man who’s done nothing wrong to her, but instead, help her out, was a cry of attention for affection. Mayella Ewell had nothing. She lived by a dump next to Negroes, had no mother, and her father beat her. One might ponder, “Why would someonewith so many playful brothers and sisters be so lonely to do what she did?” Ms. Ewell did not have anyone to love, or anyone she could be affectionate with. She was lonely in that sense which caused her to perform such actions.
Loneliness could best be described as an emotional state in which someone experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. But we all have our different perspectives and different ways of dealing with loneliness. Boo Radley dealt with his loneliness by protecting and nurturing Jem and Scout. Mayella Ewell dealt with her loneliness by seducing a black man. Dolphus Raymond dealt with his loneliness by being a fake drunk. Why did Harper Lee incorporate loneliness in her novel? Maybe she did so to contrast it with Jem and Scout’s relationship. Could she have also possibly done it to reveal something about human nature; that we’re all at one time or another lonely?