Life is like a thrill ride; you never know what awaits them. Many of the characters in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee feel the same way about life, having experienced many surprising and unexpected events. This story is about a sleepy southern town filled with prejudice and a lawyer's quest, along with his children Scout and Jem, to take action to rid the town of its prejudiced mindset. Atticus, the lawyer, defends an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, even though he is a white man. However, not everything goes as planned and society's prejudiced mindset has dominated Atticus's impartial argument. A prejudiced society results in blindness, which can be countered by courageous and compassionate actions. The prejudiced mentality of Maycomb's society shows how prejudice can lead to blindness. For example, in Scout's class, Miss Gates talks about the persecution of innocent people in a society after a student brings up the topic of Hitler and the ongoing massacre in Germany. “Here we don’t believe in persecuting anyone. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. (329) Miss Gates is so prejudiced against black people in her own society that she fails to recognize the atrocities happening all around her, similar to those occurring in Germany. This quote uses irony to show how, despite an overwhelming amount of prejudice surrounding her, Miss Gates is blind to it due to the incredible amount of prejudice she harbors; she is too prejudiced against black people and believes that they should be treated as inferior to white people. This shows how strong prejudice, similar to that of Miss Gates, ...... middle of article ...... is the idea that blindness can be caused by a prejudiced society, and that this mindset can be resolved through courageous and compassionate actions. This is personified throughout history by almost every race and group in the world; even those who seem most serene and sophisticated commit this atrocity. For example, during the American colonial era, white men from Europe settling in the Americas discriminated against Native Americans. They decided that they were superior to the Native Americans and had the full right to ransack their native lands and claim them as their own. This has been happening since the beginning of time and will continue until the end of civilization, but through courage and compassion the destructive course of prejudice can be controlled. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. New York: Warner Books, 1982.