The trial of Tom Robinson begins in Chapter 17, and
Atticus gets right to work trying to show that it could not have been Tom who beat and
raped Mayella. First, Atticus determines from Sheriff Tate that no medical evidence
existed and that Mayella never saw a doctor. This brought into question whether a rape
even occurred. Next, Atticus determines that Mayella was beaten on the right side of her
face and that her neck had marks "all around her
throat."
Bob Ewell took the stand next. Atticus requested
that Ewell sign his name, and he did so with his left hand. Scout recognized what her
father was up to: Mayella must have been beaten not only by a left-handed man, but by
someone with two good, strong hands in order to make the marks around her neck. Bob
Ewell could have been that mind, Scout decided.
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