To Kill a Mockingbird Over a Hedge - Prejudice Prejudice has caused the pain and suffering of others for many centuries. Some examples of this include the Holocaust and slavery in the United States. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, racism was the cause of much agony for blacks in a segregated South. Along with blacks, other groups of people are judged unfairly just because of their difference from others. Society's prejudice and bigotry causes the victimization of people with differences. Some who are discriminated against are those who were born differently than the majority. One person who is treated unfairly is Calpurnia, as you can see when Aunt Alexandra tried to convince Atticus to fire Calpurnia, because in her eyes, Calpurnia was not a good enough female role model (p.136). This is a prejudicial action, because Calpurnia is as good a role model as Aunt Alexandra, if not better. Aunt Alexandra is bigoted and doesn't see Calpurnia's character, only the color of her skin. Another person who is treated like an inferior is Scout by her teacher, because she could read. "He discovered that I was illiterate and looked at me with more than vague disgust. (p.17)." Scouts are treated like it's his fault that he knows more than the average kid. She learned before the others and for this she is unfairly punished. TomRobinson is also someone who is discriminated against by a prejudiced community. Tom is found guilty by the jury in his case against the Ewells (p.211). The guilty verdict is the direct result of a racist community. Tom was never given a fair chance in the trial, even though the evidence proved him innocent. People born differently are often mistreated and discriminated against. Another group that is treated badly in the bigotry-based society are people who have chosen to be different. One who chose to be different is Dolphus Raymond. He pretended to be drunk so no one would bother him with the way he lived his life (p.200). How a person lives should be a personal matter. He has the right to live differently from others if he feels that this is how he wants to live. Another person who lives differently is Boo Radley. Boo remained indoors for several years without ever going out to interact with others. He didn't want the attention that would come from the rumors being said about him. They made up stories about him and he felt it was best to stay inside. People who chose to be different ran the risk of being marginalized by the majority of society. The last group that was made to feel different were those who defended and protected minorities and people treated unfairly. Atticus was a good example of someone who defended difference by defending Tom Robinson in his case. Atticus had an integrity that gave him the strength to endure the ridicule resulting from his decision to defend a black man in a segregated area. Atticus was threatened and his children were treated badly by their peers because he had the courage to stand up for the oppressed. Sheriff Tate defends the difference when he says, "I have never heard it said that it is against the law for a citizen to do all he can to prevent a crime from being committed, which is exactly what he did, but perhaps you will say it is my duty tell the city everything and don't keep quiet (p.276)." Sheriff Tate is trying to protect Boo from attention that might scare him. The sheriff is doing the right thing by hiding the truth from the community. By defending the different, people run the risk of being known as strange or inferior compared to the rest of the people around them. Throughout history, people who are different.