According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term outsider means, “A person who does not belong to a particular circle, community, profession, etc.; a person originating from elsewhere. Also: a person unconnected with a matter; a person lacking special knowledge of a subject,” (OED). This outsider can also also be someone who is a different race or even someone who refuses to conform to the social norm. The term outsider derives from the English language, with its earliest recorded use being in 1837 by Albany Fonblangu. Due to the term being around for 180 years, while still quite new to the English language, it is not an uncommon characteristic of those in American Literature. Throughout American Literature, authors would write books that
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While Jim wasn’t anything like Huck, what made him an outsider was the color of his skin. Due to Jim being African American, he was an outsider to the rest of society. Jim was seen as a slave with no worth. Because he has no worth, per the time period, he was also highly uneducated. While being uneducated was not uncommon for those in that time period, it still made him seem more unlike the “white folk.” However, despite all of the things that Jim had against him, his color and his lack of education, he was a character that showed generosity towards others even in a way, cared for the safety of Huck. Jim is a perfect example of an outsider who despite the way society treated him, he has all the qualities of a generous and kind human …show more content…
Alfred Prufrock was not cast as an outsider due to the color of his skin or his thirst for knowledge. It can be argued that J. Alfred Prufrock seems to be an outsider in his own body. Throughout the story, Prufrock discusses how his body and soul are separate. Prufrock is also a character that seems to not be able to identify with anyone or anything surrounding him. As the people walk by on the street, Prufrock just watches them, but he never engages them in conversation or anything. However, because Prufrock feels so alone, he constantly imagines himself somewhere else or even another world. For example, at one point, he imagines himself with mermaids, where once again he is cast as an outsider. In this world of magical beings, he is a human. In a paper titled “Understanding Existentialism in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’” by Megan Mulligan, she argues that both J. Alfred Prufrock and the mermaids are “an outsider in their natural habitat,” (4). The world in which surrounds Prufrock is one that he is unsure with. He is not comfortable with how his life and he is even more uncomfortable in his own body. Prufrock, no matter how hard he tries, will always be seen as not only an outsider within society, but also an outsider within his own
While Jim wasn’t anything like Huck, what made him an outsider was the color of his skin. Due to Jim being African American, he was an outsider to the rest of society. Jim was seen as a slave with no worth. Because he has no worth, per the time period, he was also highly uneducated. While being uneducated was not uncommon for those in that time period, it still made him seem more unlike the “white folk.” However, despite all of the things that Jim had against him, his color and his lack of education, he was a character that showed generosity towards others even in a way, cared for the safety of Huck. Jim is a perfect example of an outsider who despite the way society treated him, he has all the qualities of a generous and kind human …show more content…
Alfred Prufrock was not cast as an outsider due to the color of his skin or his thirst for knowledge. It can be argued that J. Alfred Prufrock seems to be an outsider in his own body. Throughout the story, Prufrock discusses how his body and soul are separate. Prufrock is also a character that seems to not be able to identify with anyone or anything surrounding him. As the people walk by on the street, Prufrock just watches them, but he never engages them in conversation or anything. However, because Prufrock feels so alone, he constantly imagines himself somewhere else or even another world. For example, at one point, he imagines himself with mermaids, where once again he is cast as an outsider. In this world of magical beings, he is a human. In a paper titled “Understanding Existentialism in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’” by Megan Mulligan, she argues that both J. Alfred Prufrock and the mermaids are “an outsider in their natural habitat,” (4). The world in which surrounds Prufrock is one that he is unsure with. He is not comfortable with how his life and he is even more uncomfortable in his own body. Prufrock, no matter how hard he tries, will always be seen as not only an outsider within society, but also an outsider within his own