Miss Maudie says this in response to a question Scout asks
her. Atticus has told his kids they can shoot lots of other things but not
mcokingbirds. Atticus called it a "sin," in fact, which was strong language for the
normally more temperate lawyer.
Maudie agrees, and her
point is simple--mockingbirds don't take what's not theirs, they don't go where they're
not welcome, they just make music for the enjoyment of
others.
The mockingbird is one of the few symbols in this
novel, and it represents those who are innocent of wrongdoing but are wrongly punished,
when all they wanted to do was be helpful.
As this relates
to human dignity, people deserve to be left alone if they aren't doing anything wrong or
in fact are being helpful and making a positive contribution or doing something
beautiful for others.
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