y about Aunt Alexandra discriminating against blacks is that men were discriminating against her in the same manner in the 1930's. The trial of Tom Robinson is the major incident that dealt with both race and southern womanhood together. When Tom Robinson is accused of raping Mayella Ewell many southern men felt that something personally was begin taken from them. It was not the fact that a supposed rape had occurred but that a white woman had sexual intercourse with a black man. "Mr. Ewell came in, very excited he was, and said get out to his house quick, some nigger'd raped his girl" told the sheriff at Tom Robinson's trial (167). Mayella's father refers to his daughter as a piece of property saying she is "his". It was common for the southern men of the 1930's to protect their wives and daughters from danger that could come to them. Atticus even admitted once that he to wants to protect the virtue of the white southern womanhood as anyone else, but refuses to preserve "polite fiction" if it will cost a man his life. Even though Atticus presented a flawless case, Tom Robinson was still convicted for the rape because of the racism present in Maycomb. Tom Robinson's trial, though, is very tricky. The Ewells are known as the "white trash" of Maycomb County. Atticus even said, "the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in his recollection" (30). Even though the town is ashamed of the Ewells everyone comes to their aid when Mayella's rape surfaces. When the trial starts the Ewells go from being "white trash" to a known "ne'er- do- well family". The town of Maycomb gives support to them with no question of Tom Robinson's quilt. Tom Robinson's character on the other hand diminishes. He goes from the being the only person "who was ever decent to her" to a nigger that took advantage of Mayella (192). This is a clear example of the discrimination ...
