Hi, I’m Mayella Violet Ewell. I am 19-and-a-half years old. I am the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell. I have 7 siblings and live by the dump. My father is an alcoholic, so I am in charge of looking after my siblings. People in near Maycomb County recognize me from the Tom Robinson case. Tom Robinson used to always come help me with yard work and chores when I asked. I’m very lonely because I have no friends, so I tried to kiss Tom Robinson, a black man, but my father saw through the window and beat me. I brought the case to court saying Tom Robinson raped me. Tom Robinson was said to be guilty.

Quotes Describing Mayella:

A young girl walked to the witness stand. As she raised her hand and swore that the evidence she gave would be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help her God, she seemed somehow fragile-looking, but when she sat facing us in the witness chair she became what she was, a thick-bodied girl accustomed to strenuous labor.

In order to convict Tom, the jury has to believe in, or at least pretend to believe in, the fragile, helpless girl who gets taken advantage of by Tom, rather than see her as a desperate, lonely teenager who actively desires him. It's not just ideals of women at stake, but also of men:

"I got somethin' to say an' then I ain't gonna say no more. That nigger yonder took advantage of me an' if you fine fancy gentlemen don't wanta do nothin' about it then you're all yellow stinkin' cowards, stinkin' cowards, the lot of you. Your fancy airs don't come to nothin'—your ma'amin' and Miss Mayellerin' don't come to nothin', Mr. Finch-" Then she burst into real tears.