eatening to kill her, and then Tom fled.
             Link Deas, Tom's white employer, stands up and tells everyone that in eight years of work, he has never had any trouble from Tom. Judge Taylorexpels him furiously from the courtroom for interrupting; then Mr. Gilmer gets up and cross-examines Tom. The prosecutor points out that the defendant was once arrested for disorderly conduct, and gets Tom to admit that he has the strength, even with one hand, to hold a woman down and rape her. Then he begins to badger the witness, asking about his motives for always helping Mayella with her chores, and getting him to admit that "I felt right sorry for her." That doesn't go over well in the courtroom-- black people are not supposed to feel sorry for a white person. Mr. Gilmer goes over Mayella's testimony, accusing Tom of lying about everything. Dill begins to cry and Scout takes him out of the courtroom.
             If Bob Ewell is villainous, his daughter is pitiable, and their miserable existence almost allows her to join the novel's parade of innocent victims--she, too, is (up to a point) a kind of mockingbird. Lee's presentation of Mayella emphasizes her role as victim--her father beats her and possibly molests her, while she takes care of the children and so lacks kind treatment that when Atticus calls her Miss Mayella,she accuses him of making fun of her. She has no friends, and Scout seems justified in thinking that she "must have been the loneliest person in the world." Even Atticus pities her. Mayella's victimization is marred by her attempt to become a victimizer, to destroy Tom Robinson in order to cover her shame. We can have no real sympathy for Mayella Ewell--whatever her sufferings, she inflicts worse cruelty on others.
             Pity must be reserved for Tom Robinson, whose honesty and goodness render him supremely moral. Unlike the Ewells, he is hardworking, honest, and has enough compassion to make the fatal mistake of feeling sorry for Mayella Ewell...