Persuasive+Essay

“No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.” I n the book //To Kill A Mockingbird// by Harper Lee a black man named Tom Robinson is being accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson is not guilty because Tom can’t use his left hand, there is no physical evidence and the testimonies don’t match. Although many people in Maycomb County believe Tom is guilty, the enough evidence doesn’t prove this accusation. “He looked oddly off balance, but it was not from the way he was standing. His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter then his right, and hung dead at his side.” How could a man that only has one arm be responsible for bruising a woman’s legs, and blacking her right eye? In order for Mayella’s right eye to be blackened it would make sense for Tom to use his left arm, which he no longer has. Mr.Tate even said Mayella had fingerprints around her kneck, as if she was strangled. Once again a man with only one arm allegedly committed this act of violence. Both Mr. Tate and Bob said no doctor was ever called. If someone is raped or brutally beaten they are expected to be seen by a doctor immediately. If no doctor was ever called then there is no physical evidence that she was actually raped by Tom Robinson or by anybody. More importantly, if no one even felt the need to call a doctor was Mayella’s condition that bad? “…He’d looked through the window, then ran the nigger off, then ran for the sheriff.” Says Bob Ewell when he is asked what happened. “I don’t remember to good, but he next thing I know papa was in the room a’ standing over me hollerin’ who done it, who done it.” Mayella remembers. Bob says he witnessed from the window and Mayella says he was in the room. The stories don’t add up, Mayella says one thing and Bob says something different. If both of them were there then their stories should be identical. There should be more then enough evidence proving that Tom Robinson is innocent. A man without a right arm is suppose to be responsible for damages to Mayella’s right side and strangulation marks. Mayella never seeing a doctor gives no physical evidence that any rape of beating ever occurred. With Bob and Mayella’s stories not being very solid, it’s hard to say what happened that night. The point is that there is not enough information to say Tom Robinson ever committed a crime towards Mayella Ewell.