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Outsiders character essay
Outsiders character essay
Outsiders character essay
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Outsiders character essay
Outsiders character essay
Outsiders character essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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What makes someone an outsider? In Tulsa, S.E. Hinton went to a large high school and in all large high schools they would have different groups. Everyone would stay in their own groups as they grew up S.E. thought it was idiotic. She made the book The Outsiders which had the socs and the greasers S.E. would get letters from kids who told her they also had the two groups in there school but they had different names for them.
Jon Krakauer was born April 12, 1954, as the third of five children that Lewis and Carol Krakauer raised in Brookline, Massachusetts. According to Krakauer he never studied writing, but he held a “secret fantasy about being a writer” that turned into a reality after a successful journalism career. His development as an acclaimed writer comes intertwined with his progression as a mountaineer; his work is strongly influenced by his time spent in the wilderness. Into the Wild takes certain cues from Krakauer’s own life, however it is based off the adventures of a different survivalist. Following the publication of Into the Wild, Krakauer wrote directly about his own life.
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, both of the main characters undergo physical and emotional isolation. This enforced or chosen solitude causes Frankenstein to become over-ambitious and harbor secrets from his family and friends, leading to his demise. In the monster, isolation turns to misery, which causes him to become vengeful against his creator and all the world. Through these examples of total isolation, Shelley shows that when people have no connection to others in the world, their worst characteristics and flaws are brought out. Victor Frankenstein was the first character to show a major flaw while in isolation.
Lovecraft´s “The Outsider” is retold by a first-person narrator who lives his whole life in a castle without any light and form of human contact. After years he takes the courage to climb up the inside of the castle´s black tower and escape. At the top he comes out through a trap door in a dark room where he finds a door from which he goes outside and sees the moon for the first time and the stretching ground with a nearby stone church. Wandering through the countryside he stumbles upon a house where a friendly gathering takes place. Going inside the inhabitants flee in blank horror leaving the narra-tor alone, confused and afraid.
The Monster and Exile Every person in life is created with a strong sense of belonging. Whether the belonging is to a person, a place, or a moment in time, they still feel connected and influenced by it. Exile is an action that separates a person from this connected belonging, and can suffer great consequences, but can also enrich their lifestyle. In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the creature creaked by Victor Frankenstein is forced, from the very beginning of his existence, away from his creator and society as a whole. This type of exile turned the creature into what he is, shaping his ideas and mentalities.
Mary Shelley, in her book, Frankenstein, has a reoccurring theme of isolation, in which she isolates the main character, Victor Frankenstein, from the rest of society in order to create a creature. Likewise, the creature that is created is also isolated from the rest of society as he is rejected from his creator as to his appearance. The theme is present throughout the novel as it reinforces Victor’s downfall from a normal boy to a grown man intrigued with creating life as he slowly becomes a madman that everyone soon fears. Isolation causes a loss of humanity as it affects the mind and body. Isolation from society does not teach social interaction, causes regret about oneself, provides one with negative feelings, and causes regretful actions.
The monster depicts his otherness when he wonders: “Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned” (Shelley 85). The monster evidently remains in isolation and is dehumanized. The monster attempts to get integrated into his society but his appearance and lack of social skills hinder his success. The monster strives to be accepted but is incapable of acceptance. The monster reiterates this feeling of isolation as he says: “I felt as if I were placed under a ban- as if I had no right to claim their sympathies – as if never more might I enjoy companionship with them” (Shelley 108).
Although he comes with friendly intentions, the Monster is treated violently and with contempt, essentially being forced into his alienation to survive and becoming the “monster” he is already thought of as a result. The Monster’s actions are a response to the treatment he has received from others, everyday villagers and Victor alike. With little known about his origins and no way to explain himself, there is no hope for the Monster to assimilate himself. This is present in other characters of the novel as well, for example, Richard Walton, who has self-alienated in order to gain distinction and knowledge. The Monsters origins and appearance develop these themes of alienation throughout the novel, themes that are further developed by other characters and play an important role in delivering the message of