Ashlyn W. answered • 02/11/22
The Languages of Business: English and Accounting
In the pivotal courtroom scenes of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee contrasts Atticus's treatment of Mayella Ewell with Mr. Gilmer's treatment of Tom Robinson. Atticus and Mr. Gilmer are white men with law degrees and a measure of power and influence within Maycomb County. Mayella and Tom are marginalized members of the community, looked down upon for their class or race, both with minimal access to education.
Atticus speaks to his cross examinee, who is considered "trash" by most of the town, as respectfully as he would to his sister Alexandra. He addresses her as "ma'am" or "Miss Mayella." Even when contradicting her story, he uses only the facts, never her social class, to call her testimony into question. He is so courteous that Mayella, unused to such treatment, assumes he is mocking her.
Mr. Gilmer, in contrast, talks down to Tom. He uses demeaning and dehumanizing language he would never apply to a white man, consistently addressing Tom as "boy" or calling him a "big buck." He looks around at the jury after Tom's perfectly reasonable statements, inviting them to sneer along with him. He draws special attention to Tom's admission that he, a black man, had the impertinence to feel sorry for a white woman. Not for one moment does he allow anyone present to forget Tom's marginalized place in society.