Guilty At Last In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee establishes Tom Robinson as a suspected criminal based on Mayella’s testimony. He is accused of raping a white female by the name of Mayella Ewell. While Tom is giving his testimony he is very relaxed and calm; he acts as if he has nothing to hide. Mayella, on the other hand, is the opposite; she was crying and very defensive. Tom is asked if he has ever come in contact with Mayella and he answers truthfully.

Mayella is then asked, if she remembers him beating her about the face on the night of the incident. Mayella states, “Yes he hit- I just don’t remember, I just don’t remember… it all happened so quick” (Lee, 248). Mayella utilizes pathos to convince the court that Tom is guilty. She goes on to say that she could not remember what happened that night. By saying this, the jury suspects that Tom could be the culprit. Due to how traumatized she appears, she is portraying herself as the victim which implies that Tom is the criminal.

While Mayella is giving her testimony she says, “I turned around an ‘fore I knew it he was on me. Just ran up behind me, he did. He got me round the neck, cussin’ me an’ sayin’ dirt” (Lee, 241). Mayella illustrates her version of what happened on the night of November twenty first; based on the details she includes, it makes her story seem believable. Mayella vividly describes her perspective and its makes the audience feel as if they were at the scene.

The jury can now infer that Tom is guilty because of what Mayella included in her testimony. What Mayella had to say in her speech was enough to guilt trip the jury into ruling that Tom was guilty. Regardless if Mayella’s story was true or false Tom Robinson was guilty at last based on the outcome of the trial.