what strategies does the author use to make sure readers will feel some sympathy for Mayella Ewell?

Throughout the trial, we learn a lot of things about Mayella that inspire sympathy in the reader. Mayella has no friends, she's in charge of the household, even though she's not more than a child herself, and she's in charge of the children she has a hard time controlling. We learn that Mayella's father is abusive, and that her happiest moments are spent tending her own very small garden. All of these things serve to influence the way we see her and allow us to empathize with the condition of her daily life.