Prejudice, a negative opinion formed without experience or knowledge, is a state of mind as old as humanity itself. Prejudice has been the cause of wars, hatred, and intolerance throughout history. Countless innocent lives have been lost or destroyed all because of prejudices based on things as simple as skin color. In Harper E. Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudice is shown to lead to injustice and inequity.
The manner in which people behave and the events that take place in To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates that prejudice causes unjust actions. For example, Atticus explains why Tom Robinson was convicted of raping Mayella when it was obvious that he was innocent: “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is