In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird the many facets of prejudice are demonstrated. The book is an excellent study of human nature and attitudes toward various groups and ideas. The "old south" Alabama mind-set is seen through the innocent eyes of two children and their untainted approach to the horrible events that plague a small town. This paper will explore racial prejudice, class prejudice and prejudicial attitudes toward the mentally handicapped.
             Racial prejudice existed throughout the American South during the 1930s. The town was ready to condemn Tom Robinson for the rape of Mayella Ewell. It could not even be considered that she might have seduced him because she was white and he was black. The prejudicial lines between the races were clearly drawn. Even though the Ewells were considered "white trash" they were still white. When the trial actually took place the whites were allowed to sit in the main area of the courtroom and the blacks were seated in the loft area. Atticus and his children were probably the only people in the town who truly did not judge people by the color of their skin.
             The second form of prejudice in this classic work is that of class discrimination. The prime example of this when Aunt Alexandra told Scout not to hang out with the Cunningham boy because he and his family were "trash." The Ewell's were considered to be beneath the others in the town as well, but they used Tom Robinson's trial to try to
             gain notoriety within the community. They relished the attention they got. Again, Atticus and his children were the only ones in the town to see people for what they were rather than what they had or were born into.
             The third form of prejudice was expertly exhibited with the children's attitude about Boo Radley. Boo was mentally impaired and the entire town shared the children's fear of the man. In the end, it was Boo that saved the...