At the most basic level, Mayella is a key part of the plot because it's her accusation that Tom raped and beat her that kicks off the trial. Without that we would not have the trial and conviction of an innocent man, and the subsequent consequences. During the trial we learn that she was the one who came on to Tom, not the other way around.
On a much deeper thematic level Mayella represents socio-economic disparities, racism, sexism, and judgment and compassion. Mayella, and the Ewells in general show the economic disparities of Maycomb. While everyone is suffering from the Great Depression, the Finch's circumstances are much better than that of the Ewell's. Mayella is an impoverished and abused young woman. She too is discriminated against, and treated poorly. Even Tom feels sorry for her in the end.
Mayella shows the privilege of being white in the south, as well as the disadvantage of being black. She also shows the role of woman and how they are portrayed. The Ewells, Mayella included are known as being a disgusting family that lies and cheats, and literally lives on a trash heap. She takes care of her siblings, is abused by her father, and does manual labor. She is anything but a Southern Rose (or geranium). However when Mayella walks into the courtroom, she is dressed as a beautiful young woman. She plays as a weak white girl, who was defiled and attacked by a scary black man, and now she needs the white jury to save her. By doing this she taps into the power and privilege that is given to her by being white. White men are heroes, black men are criminals, and white woman are weak, and need saving and protection. There's a clear hierarchy and set of discriminatory rules in the South during this time. Mayella both uses those rules, and falls victim to them.
While the reader doesn't spend much time with Mayella, the reader has to decide if she's a victim or a liar who despicably helps to convict an innocent man. Throughout the book Scout learns to understand other's circumstances. The reader has the same opportunity with Mayella. She is a poor girl without a mother, raised by a father who makes her take care of her siblings, who physically abuses her, and who may also sexually abuse her. On the other hand, she knowingly lies about what she did, and accuses an innocent man of a heinous crime, fully knowing that he will suffer the consequences. Does she deserve judgment and condemnation for the role that she played in Tom's incarceration, or does she deserve our compassion? The answer is left up to the reader. Ultimately she shows how these cycles of discrimination (racism, sexism, socio-economic status) are perpetuated, and she participates in their continuance.
Mayella Ewell's surface-level function in the plot is that she is complicit in framing Tom Robinson for her alleged rape and battery. She is from a poor family and lives with her abusive father, who beats and possibly sexually abuses her as well. In the courtroom, it is revealed that Tom did not attack Mayella. In fact, it was she who came onto him, hoping to get a little affection from someone who seemed kind.
On a thematic level, Mayella is a victim of prejudice in her own way. People already view her as trash due to her socio-economic status, and her being a woman gives her even less power. Her position is so low that even Tom Robinson admits he pities her, since she seems so lonely.
However, Mayella's willingness to destroy the life of an innocent man is impossible to condone. Though a victim herself, she perpetuates the cycle of ignorance and racism in Maycomb, rather than learning from her own mistreatment and extending compassion toward someone more socially vulnerable than herself.
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