Miss Maudie feels enormous respect for Atticus and strives to help Jem and Scout understand what a good and courageous man their father is. She points out to them that their father is the same in his home as he is on the public streets, Maudie's way of explaining to them the concept of personal integrity.
After the heartbreak of Tom Robinson's conviction, Maudie explains to Jem and Scout their father's moral strength and courage:
. . . there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them . . . . We're so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we've got men like Atticus to go for us.
Maudie points out that Atticus was chosen specifically by Judge Taylor to take Tom's case for a reason:
. . . I thought, Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that.
Maudie knows the children are too young to understand fully their father's integrity and moral character, but she knows they will one day. She speaks from her heart.
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