Outsiders In To Kill A Mockingbird

In every town there are people who stand out. Whether they have more money, less money, different beliefs or just like to be alone. In Maycomb, Alabama, a fictional town from the book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are many outsiders. It is the midst of the Great Depression and in the heart of the South, so racism and discrimination is strong in the town. Yet the three biggest outcasts in the story, aren’t black. By comparing the lives of many people at different heights of the social ladder in Maycomb, Harper Lee has effectively shown the benefits and disadvantages of being an outsider. Dolphus Raymond, the town drunk, chose to make himself separated from most of maycomb. His fiance killed herself the day before their wedding

He has lived his life alone and his image is plagued with rumors. The Radley’s have always been feared by the town. This was just another reason that he stayed alone. Mrs. Maudie describes his life to scout by explaining that “Arthur Radley just stays in the house, that’s all...Wouldn’t you stay in the house if you didn’t want to come out?” (Lee 58). This accurately resembles Boo Radley’s life. He has lived the majority of his life within the walls of his home. Rumors have gone around about him and his family, but no one knows if they are true. Miss Maudie seems to believe that Boo doesn’t want to come out so that is why he doesn’t. Even Scout describes the Radleys as lonely, “The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb. They did not go to church, Maycomb’s principal recreation, but worshiped at home...I never knew how old Mr. Radley made his living— Jem said he “bought cotton,” a polite term for doing nothing—but Mr. Radley and his wife had lived there with their two sons as long as anybody could remember” (Lee 11). While Boo is the only one left in the house, even when there were others, the Radleys had a different way of life. The broke Maycomb’s golden rule and did their praying at home. This by itself isolated the Radleys from the rest of maycomb. Boo not only had a few issues, but his current life style is just an extreme of his family’s

Yet she is different from the others because she has not chosen her lifestyle. Her family lives on the outskirts of the white side of Maycomb, and they are extremely poor. After describing her living situation in court, “The jury learned the following things: their relief check was far from enough to feed the family, and there was strong suspicion that Papa drank it up anyway...they kept the surrounding area clear of trash ... if you wanted to wash you hauled your own water; the younger children had perpetual colds and suffered from chronic ground-itch; there was a lady who came around sometimes and asked Mayella why she didn’t stay in school—she wrote down the answer; with two members of the family reading and writing, there was no need for the rest of them to learn—Papa needed them at home” (Lee 244-245). There is clearly a lot going on in Mayella’s life. Her family isn’t well off and if she wants something done, she has to do it herself. Having such a busy life could lead her to being alone. In addition, her father spends all the money and doesn’t seem to contribute much, this would leave Mayella, the oldest of the Ewell children, with more work. When asked why she didn’t go to school for longer than two or three years, she responds by saying that she doesn’t need to. With two out of eight family members having the ability to read, she thinks that there is no need to finish her education. Yet she