There were a few times when I was confused and had some questions while reading chapters 18 and 19 of "To Kill a Mockingbird". For example, in the courtroom when Mayella was being questioned by Atticus, she says, "Won't answer a word you say as long as you keep mockin' me" (Lee 181). Mayella thought that Atticus was mocking her by calling her ma'am and Ms. Mayella. At first I was confused to why she thought Atticus was making fun of her, because it just seemed like he was trying to be nice. Later on however, I understood that since she isn't used to being called that, she doesn't know that it is actually polite. Mayella has never been called ma'am before, and when someone calls her it she gets defensive as if it is an insult.
In addition, when Thomas Robinson is called to the stand and asked if Mayella is lying he says, "I don't know she's lyin', Mr. Gilmer, I say she's mistaken in her mind" (Lee 197). This quote confused me because even though Mayella is making him out to be a monster, Robinson still doesn't want to say anything bad about her. She doesn't hold back when trying to prove him guilty, but yet he does. I think that Thomas Robinson feels bad for Mayella because of how sad and lonely her life seems, and he doesn't want to throw her under the bus even if it means he could be proven innocent. It seems like they were friends before the incident occurred, and I wonder what caused Mayella to turn against him, maybe she was upset with being rejected.
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