Chapter+18

=To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapter 18 Study Guide=

Plot Summary
In chapter 18, the trial continues and we hear the statement of the next witness, Mayella Ewell. She is Bob Ewell's 19 year old daughter who Tom Robinson is accused of raping and she is revealed to be a lonely girl. Mayella's story is that she calls Tom Robinson, who is passing by and whom she has never called inside before, inside the fence asks him to chop up an old chiffarobe for her in return for a nickel. She goes on to say that when she turns around after getting a nickel from the house, Tom grabs her, chokes her, and hits her around the face before raping her while she struggles to get away. Once Mr. Gilmer, the lawyer for the state, is done, Atticus poses his questions, which begin with general ones about her and slowly move towards the trial. When asked is she is ever abused by her father, Mayella hesitates before confidently and declaring that he has never done so. Atticus runs through the chain of events again, and when he gets to Mayella being hit, he asks her to identify her assailant. She points to Tom, who is then asked to stand up. We now see the reason for Atticus's interest concerning which hand Mr. Ewell writes with. Tom left arm is a foot shorter than his right arm and ends in a shriveled and useless hand, the result of an accident with a cotton gin. Atticus continues to question her and is on the verge of a breakthrough, with Mayella one word away from admitting that her father is her real assailant, when she suddenly regains her composure and restates her earlier claim that Tom is, in fact, the culprit and refusing to answer any further questions. With that we move forward to the defense's only witness, Tom Robinson, the accused.

Setting
Chapter 18 is set in the courtroom of Maycomb County during the trial of Tom Robinson. The courtroom is packed with all kinds of spectators, from the suspendered old men who are attentive critics of courthouse business to people who have come from other places to mothers and their children. All colored people are sitting in the colored balcony, which runs along three walls of the courtroom floor like a second-story veranda. The jury sits to the left, the circuit solicitor, Atticus, and Tom are sitting with their backs to the spectators, and the witnesses are sitting on cowhide-bottomed chairs. Judge Taylor is sitting on the bench, looking like a sleepy old shark and the reporter is sitting in front of him.

Character
In Chapter 18 we get to know more about Mayella Ewell and her life through her testimony and actions in court. Mayella is the 19 year old daughter of Bow Ewell who Tom Robinson is accused of raping. From her testimony, we learn that she lives a very lonely and secluded life. For example, when asked who her friends are, she thinks that she is being mocked. She has the same reaction when she addressed as 'Miss Mayella' and 'Ma'am'. Something that we learn from her body language is that she is scared of her father. This is shown when she is asked if her father is good to her. She says, "He does tollable, 'cept when-" before stalling, looking at her father, and saying "Except when nothin', I said he does tollable." Although she is lonely and miserable, she isn't a character that many would sympathize with because of how she does not value Tom Robinson's life at all and is willing to throw it away just to save herself some embarrassment.
 * Mayella Ewell**

We don't learn anything new about any other characters as the whole chapter is dedicated to Mayella's testimony.

Photo Bank
Red Geraniums "...I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard." (179)

Chiffarobe "...there was this old chiffarobe in the yard Papa'd brought in..." (180)

Kiindling "...Papa'd brought in to chop up for kindlin'..." (180)

Relief Check "...their relief check was far from enough to feed the family..."

Shoes "...you could make dandy ones from strips of old tires..."

Cotton Gin "...caught it in Mr. Dolphus Raymond's cotton gin when he was a boy..."

Vocabulary

 * Lavations (179):** The act of washing or cleaning


 * Scalded (179):** Injured by very hot liquid or steam


 * Soothing (180):** Having a gently calming effect


 * Chiffarobe (180):** Large furniture wardrobe with drawers


 * Brash (181):** Self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way


 * Contorted (181):** Twisted or bent out of its normal shape


 * Immaterial (182):** Unimportant under the circumstances, irrelevant


 * Wrathfully (185):** In an intensely angry manner


 * Exodus (189):** A mass departure of people