Miss Maudie, who does not attend the trial because she knows too well the prejudices of her town, is, nevertheless, impressed with the defense which Atticus offers on behalf of Tom Robinson.
Not one to gossip, Miss Maudie makes no comments on the trial as it goes on; however, she does remark upon it when she comes to the house for Aunt Alexandra's Missionary Tea. For, after Atticus comes home and informs his family that Tom has been shot as he tried to escape, Aunt Alexandra becomes distraught and speaks to Miss Maudie, asking her what more the town wants from him:
"...they're perfectly willing to let him wreck his health doing what they're afraid to do, they're--"
"Be quiet, they'll hear you," said Miss Maudie. "....Whether Maycomb knows it or not, we're paying the highest tribute we can pay a man. We trust him to do right. It's that simple."
Aunt Alexandra asks who these people are, and Miss Maudie replies,
"The handful of people in this town who say that fair play is not marked White Only; the handful of people who say a fair trail is for everybody, not just us....that's who they are."
From these remarks, therefore, the reader can infer that Miss Maudie is disgusted with many of the folks living in Maycomb who would afford the Ewells any credibility simply because they are white and Tom Robinson is black. And, she is repulsed by those who make a sacrificial victim of Tom simply to keep the status quo, despite the strong and righteous defense that Atticus has provided Tom. When she hears of Tom's death, she is sorry both for Tom and for Atticus, who made every effort on the unfortunate man's behalf.
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