Pay attention to Mayella's testimony. Are there any inconsistencies? Do your feelings about her change?

In chapters 18-19 in To Kill a Mockingbird, a lot happens during Mayella Ewells testimony in the Tom Robinson case. There is now a look into Mayella's side of the story. This further characterizes Mayella in the way that she is now coming out of her "shell' for once. "She was even lonelier than Boo Radley" (256) and she does not have any friends. This is basically Mayella's first time speaking out in public, and not behind the closed gate of her front yard.

Though the jury's have no evidence on Tom Robinson committing this crime, he will still be found guilty just because he is black. Mayella has two advantages on her side of the story, 1) that she is a girl, and 2) that she is white. This also further describes the small town of Maycomb and showing that it is racist.

Harper Lee also added that Tom Robinson had been in jail before and has indeed gone against the law "he had been in trouble with the law before: he once received thirty days of disorderly conduct." (254) Tom Robinson "got in a fight with another man" (254), the other man tried to cut him and he did indeed get injured. Harper Lee chose to add this detail to make the reader stop and think for a second, could Tom Robinson have raped Mayella? It was thought that it was clear that he was innocent but now with this detail it isn't so clear anymore.

Do you think that Tom will be proved innocent, even with this new detail from his past? Do you think that Mayella has been lying throughout chapter 18? Or is she simply telling the whole truth? Explain.