The Outsider

Paper details:

This is a comparative essay. The figure of “the outsider” has factored into several of the texts we have read this

semester. The outsider is any character who essentially does not fit into society for various

reasons. Often, an author centers a story around the figure of the outsider as a way to give a

perspective on our values and culture in society from a unique or critical view. The outsider’s

contrasting attitude toward our values and culture allows the author to consider alternative

approaches and ideas toward phenomena in our society that we often take for granted. In this

essay, you must choose two texts that feature outsiders and analyze how the author uses the

figure of the outsider to question, critique, and/or examine his or her society. Some possible

texts to consider include “The Yellow Wallpaper,” “The Lottery,” “The Birthmark,” “Rappaccinni’s

Daughter,” “Robbie,” “Harrison Bergeron,” “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” “The

Metamorphosis,” “The Overcoat,” and “Bartleby the Scrivener.”