Does society outcast those who defy its norms? Are unique and special individuals tossed aside in favor of rule following drones? By looking at different literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Boy Erased, and The Handmaid 's tale it is clear that people are often treated as outcasts when they defy societal norms.
In To Kill a Mockingbird Maycomb treats mixed-race children like outcasts because they aren’t one race or the other. In Maycomb, both white people and people of color hold animosity to each other. So the children in the town with both a white and black parent are treated differently because society can’t put them in a box
“‘ They don 't belong anywhere. Colored folks won’t have 'em because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ‘em ‘cause they’re colored, so they’re in-betweens, don 't belong anywhere.’”(Lee 161) The prejudice in Maycomb is so strong that a clear line has been
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‘Why thank God?’ said Moria.
‘I thought she was dead’
‘She might as well be, said Moira. You should wish it for her’ ” (Atwood 252)
Women are expected to be quiet birthing machines and accept the role that society has given to them or be exiled forever to the colonies. The society of unwomen is brutal, cold, and a miserable place for people to live. So the women of Gilead have a choice to either follow society 's expectations and become a handmaiden or retreat to become an outcast in the society of unwomen. When Offered wants to escape the grueling life of a handmaiden she realizes she can’t be a part of society unless it’s as they wish her to be. Just like in Boy Erased Offered is not free to be her true self because she will be forced to become an outcast. And just like in To Kill a Mockingbird those who do not fit into societies boxes are shamed and avoided by their families and former friends.The Handmaid 's tale conveys that society looks at people as expectations, measurements, and archetypes it causes people to be outcast unless they