What do Mayella's geraniums symbolize in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In the Ewell family dwelling, the trash, waste and disorder mirror the personalities of its inhabitants; the cast-off family that is so notorious in Macomb. However, even among the chaos and ugliness of daily life, beauty can find a place to flourish. In the case of the Ewell's, the slop jars holding red geraniums dramatically contrast with the unsightly surroundings that make the family so unpopular. 

"Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson, had Miss Maudie deigned to permit a geranium on her premises. People said they were Mayella Ewell's."

The fact that Mayella finds pleasure in tending to something aesthetically pleasing, despite of her daily, unappealing environment, denotes that she wishes for something entirely different than what she is used to. By bringing some form of beauty into the chaotic Ewell home, Mayella is inadvertently demonstrating a need to see "something" better, something of quality, happening in her life.

She wants to experience beauty. She is, after all, a typical young woman trying, unbeknownst to her, to exist under unpleasing circumstances. 

In the language of flowers, the geranium is a symbol of esteem and gentility. This is very telling, considering that, by keeping these rare and beautiful flowers, Mayella shows a want for a genteel, more pleasing, lifestyle. Even those whom are considered "less fortunate", can still harbor dreams of a better reality. We all have the same right to hope and wish for that. Mayella shows her own desire of a better existence through her flowers. The geraniums represent that dream: Her dream of wanting something better for herself. 

Mayella's life is anything but glamorous, or even normal.  She is the eldest daughter, the substitute mother to all of her siblings, and the mistress to her own father.  She can't be anything but miserable, but that doesn't keep her from hoping--hope is what keeps the human spirit afloat.  The geraniums symbolize her hope for a lovelier future, a future of some normalcy and beauty.  The flowers are the only thing of beauty and color in the yard.  They are the only thing in the yard and home that seem to be meticulously cared for.  They are red, the color of love--heat--passion--hope.

What do Miss Maudie's azaleas symbolize in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 5, Scout and Miss Maudie have a conversation about many things, but part of it revolves around her flowers. Scout asks Maudie about Boo Radley and Maudie tells her that he grew up with a very strict father who was "a foot-washing Baptist" (44). Maudie explains that these particular Baptists believe that "pleasure is a sin." She mentions that some of these types of Baptists walked by her house one day and told her that she and her flowers were all going to hell. Scout is amazed that these people would send flowers to hell along with Miss Maudie, the "best lady" Scout knows. Miss Maudie elaborates by saying that they thought she should be in the house reading the Bible and not working outside so much. Based on the information from this scene, and because the azaleas are Maudie's fragile favorites and the most colorful, they symbolize passion, beauty, and hard work spent on gardening rather than reading the Bible.

The foot-washing Baptists might also consider the flowers something like idols that Maudie worships because she spends so much time with them. For example, in chapter 16, a woman who must be from the same group of foot-washers yells, "He that comes in vanity departeth in darkness!" Whereupon Maudie yells back, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance!" (159). The azaleas must be symbols of Maudie's alleged vanity according to the critical, yelling woman. She must think that Maudie decorates her house with so many colorful flowers to show how vain she is. But for Maudie, the azaleas are symbols of cheerfulness and joy, not things to flaunt for her own vanity's sake.

To Kill A Mockingbird contains many symbols, starting with the title. In the fight for justice, innocence is lost. It is "a sin to kill a mockingbird," because in singing "their hearts out for us," they have no malice or personal agendas—much like Tom Robinson in feeling sorry for Mayella Ewell and trying to ease her apparent suffering.

Flowers are a recurring symbol in the book and as Atticus refuses to judge anyone in his community of Maycomb County and looks for the good (the beauty) in everyone, flowers are a reminder of that. People are rude and offensive and their behavior is often disgraceful and yet, Atticus instructs his children to accept and respect the views of others, even when those thoughts are intrinsically flawed and even wicked. Flowers provide the stark contrast between his attitude and that of most of his community. Furthermore, Mayella's harsh life conflicts with a show of color, even though her geramiums are grown in "chipped-enamel" jars.

In terms of Miss Maudie, she does not want to be stereotyped or stay indoors, because that would be "time wasted," even if the Maycomb community expects her to. Her azaleas provide the contrast between her friendly disposition and the bitterness and hypocrisy in Maycomb County. Her azaleas need nurturing, and are also a symbol of her efforts to nurture not only her azaleas, protecting them from the snow, but also the children, who are free to spend time with her as long as they do not spoil her azaleas. She also likes the bright colors; she does not discriminate one color over another—a subtle reference to the racial prejudice by which she is surrounded. 

Azaleas are a colorful flower that blooms in the spring in the South. Their bright colors announce the change in season. Azaleas are a symbol of spirit and determination, even rebirth. These flowers had to be protected from freezing to death in the unexpected snowfall. In a way, the flowers were symbolic of the children and their innocence that had to be protected from the harsh realities of life. These flowers require much love and care, as children do when growing up. To raise them to their full potential, the flower (and the children) require nurturing. When the flowers are destroyed in the fire, Miss Maudie determines to have a smaller house in order to raise more flowers, symbolic of her strength and determination.

In which chapter does Mayella Ewell care for her geraniums and reveal her background?

We learn about Mayella Ewell when the trial starts.  A description of the Ewell home is given in Chapter 17. It is a very run down property.

"The varmints had a lean time of it, for the Ewells gave the dump a thorough gleaning every day, and the fruits of their industry (those that were not eaten) made the plot of ground around the cabin look like the playhouse of an insane child...” (pg 170)

However, there were some red geraniums growing in one corner of the yard,

“...cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson...People said they were Mayella Ewell’s” (pg 171).

The reader learns about Mayella in Chaper 18.  This is when Mayella is called to the stand to testify against Tom Robinson.  Scout gives some background information she knows from living in Maycomb, and Mayella is asked some personal questions by Atticus to give the jury some background information.  Mayella is 19 years old and is the oldest of seven children.  Her mother is deceased.  She has two to three years of formal schooling and can read and write as well as her father, which isn’t saying much. They were on welfare, but the check wasn’t enough to feed the family, and her father was a drunk . They had to haul water from a spring that ran near their home, and they used old tires to make shoes when they needed them.  Mayella has no friends and when asked why by Atticus, Mayella thinks Atticus was making fun of her.  All of this information can be found on page 183 of the book. 

What type of flowers does Mayella grow in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 17, when Bob Ewell is called to the witness stand during the trial, Harper Lee provides a page-long description of the Ewell property. The place is behind the town garbage dump and looks like an extension of the dump. The yard contains various types of junk, from an old car on blocks to a dentist's chair to an old icebox. Smaller items are strewn around the place. But there is one part of the yard that contrasts with the ugliness of the rest of the property:

Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums.

Surprisingly, these flowers, though planted in old "slop jars" rather than flower pots, were well-cared-for. Everyone assumed that Mayella was the one who had planted and meticulously tended the geraniums. As the oldest daughter in the motherless family, she would be the only one of the unruly children likely to take on such a task.

These geraniums give an important insight into Mayella, making her a more sympathetic character than she might otherwise be. Her conduct during the trial could cause readers to despise her, but knowing that she had tried to make her ugly corner of the world more beautiful despite such daunting obstacles helps readers respond to Mayella with greater forbearance. She needed someone to tend her as lovingly as she tended her flowers, but she only had a vicious and abusive father.

Is it not curious that the daughter of the dissolute and dissipated reprobate, Bob Ewell, is named Mayella Violet Ewell?  There is clearly an indication that one of the parents--probably the mother--had a sensitive and artistic side that appreciated flowers.  But, having no mother, Mayella can only grow the geraniums, a sturdy flower that emits a strong scent, much like a rose.  Her geraniums are red, too, the color of passion and desire.

Mayella's pitiful attemps to beautify their trashy yard, as well as cover the odor with the scent of the geranium, indicate her search for some beauty in her ugly and lonely existence.  Furthermore, her attempt to come into contact with someone--anyone--in her lonely and barren life is equally poignant.

The answer to this is that she grows geraniums.  You can find this in Chapter 18.  There, Scout is watching Mayella testify in the trial.

She says that Mayella looks like she tries to keep clean and be decent.  Scout thinks that Mayella looks like she takes baths often.  This is very different from how her dad looks.  He looks like he just took his first bath in a long time so he could come to court.

When Scout sees this, she thinks of the red geraniums that she has seen in the Ewell's yard.  These are the flowers that Mayella grows.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what do the geraniums at the Ewell place suggest about Mayella?

The few slop jars of red geraniums in the Ewell yard suggest Mayella's desire to experience something of beauty in her dismal environment. 

While the under-educated and culturally deprived Mayella Ewell is probably not familiar with John Keats's poem, "A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever," in which he writes, 

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits,

she probably understands the feelings expressed in these lines. The red geraniums are precisely the "shape of beauty" in a yard cluttered with junk and a dilapidated house that has the gloom, or "pall," of poverty and loneliness. Mayella seems to try to dispel the sad conditions of her life with her flowers of a vibrant color. Interestingly, the geranium is a symbol of esteem and gentility, and red geraniums traditionally have a meaning that relates to comfort. Perhaps, then, the qualities of the red geraniums are those for which Mayella wishes.

That Mayella may possess the "dark spirits" of which Keats writes in his poem is suggested by her apparent loneliness. When she is on the witness stand and Atticus asks Mayella who her friends are, she becomes angry and demands to know if he is "making fun" of her. In addition, after listening to Mayella's responses, Scout concludes that Mayella has a sad existence: "Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her."

When Scout is describing the Ewell house, after mentioning the dirt and trash, she says there are red geraniums in pots outside the house that look so beautiful and cared for, it was as if Miss Maudie (a superb gardener) had been looking after them. Scout assumes that these geraniums belong to Mayella. This image complements the one Scout describes when she describes Mayella's appearance--that it looked as though Mayella tried to keep clean on a regular basis, as opposed to the rest of the Ewells who took baths once a year.

These two images combined give the reader (and Scout) the sense that Mayella wants to be better than she is--"just a Ewell"--but it's difficult when everyone in the town only associates her with her last name. This leads Scout to the conclusion that Mayella must be the most lonely person in the world--even lonelier than Boo Radley--because white folks didn't want anything to do with the Ewells because the Ewells are trash, and black folks didn't want to have anything to do with the Ewells because the Ewells were white. So, no matter how hard Mayella tries, she won't be able to rise beyond her last name.