In his closing argument, Atticus says that Mayella Ewell feels guilty. What does she feel guilty about?

In Chapter 20, Atticus addresses the jury and gives his closing argument. Atticus mentions that the case is as "simple as black and white" as he discusses the lack of evidence and conflicting testimonies from the Ewells. Atticus comments that Mayella Ewell has accused Tom Robinson of assault and rape in order to get rid of her own guilt. He says that guilt motivated her because she broke a "time-honored code" of society. The code...

In Chapter 20, Atticus addresses the jury and gives his closing argument. Atticus mentions that the case is as "simple as black and white" as he discusses the lack of evidence and conflicting testimonies from the Ewells. Atticus comments that Mayella Ewell has accused Tom Robinson of assault and rape in order to get rid of her own guilt. He says that guilt motivated her because she broke a "time-honored code" of society. The code that Atticus is referring to deals with interracial relations. In 1930s Alabama, it was socially unacceptable for a white person to have relations with a black person. Atticus says, "She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man" (Lee 272). Mayella's father caught her kissing Tom Robinson and proceeded to beat his daughter severely. According to Atticus, Mayella's shame and guilt motivated her to "destroy the evidence," which happened to be Tom Robinson. Atticus tells the jury that Tom Robinson was a daily reminder to Mayella of what she did. Instead of enduring the shame of her community, she decided to accuse Tom Robinson of raping her to save face.