Tuesday, January 13, 2015

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how do Mayella and her father's testimonies contradict one another?

jeff-hauge definitely gave the best answer, but there are smaller things as well.  Her father mentioned things being "all slung about" but Mayella never mentions things in the room being bothered, just that she had "fought 'n hollered" and he threw her to the floor.  Also, her father said that after Tom ran off, Mayella was "lyin' on the floor squallin'" but Mayella says she "sorta fainted an' the next thing [she] knew Mr. Tate was pullin' [her] up up offa the floor."

And of course, there's always Tom's testimony where he says "She says she never kissed a grown man before an' she might as well kiss a nigger.  She says what her papa do to her don't count," which is probably the most damning thing for the Ewells' testimony... but of course coming from a black man, it's largely ignored.

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