The Outsider's Place in Society

         So far in American Studies, we have looked at two similar but also very different characters. Both Timothy Treadwell and Chris Mcandless were outsiders, and lived outside the normal bounds of American Society. For Treadwell, this was because he couldn't fit in, and for McCandless, because he didn't want to fit in. During our discussion, the question of whether the outsider, despite appearing to be apart from the mainstream, has a role in American society. Does the outsider have a place in society? When I thought about that question, I noticed that the best way to gauge how outsiders are perceived is through movies. The outsider is a staple template for many characters,

          The most common outsider in movies is the awkward underdog who can't fit in, but eventually finds success, such as the main character of Forty Year Old Virgin. This sort of outsider is different from Treadwell or McCandless; the point of his story is to eventually become an insider and achieve happiness along the way. Treadwell and McCandless, by contrast, don't try to become insiders, but rather achieve happiness by focusing their lives around goals outside of the American norm. A closer analog to Treadwell and McCandless's character is the archetype of a protagonist of  westerns; the sheriff or the lone ranger who wanders, dealing justice to those he meets. Like Treadwell and McCandless, these characters live apart from normal society, and their goals in life are very distinct from those of insiders. Instead of trying to raise a family or have a productive career, a sheriff dedicates his life to justice, as Treadwell dedicated his life to Grizzly Bears and McCandless to his pursuit of his ideals.
          The portrayal of Western characters is highly positive. The characters, despite being total strangers, are treated as heroes. They live outside the conventional bounds of society, but they still have a large, valuable role in mainstream culture. A person doesn't necessarily have to conform to have a role in American Society.
          It is important to note, however, the many differences between western characters and Treadwell and McCandless. The roaming sheriff is not a hero because he is an outsider, but because people strongly agree with his mission. Protecting Grizzly Bears and searching for universal truth are not regarded nearly as highly as fighting crime and saving the innocent, so the principle behind popular opinion of western protagonists doesn't necessarily apply to Treadwell and McCandless. However, I believe that many people do sympathize with their goals, and admire their motivation and purpose. Those that criticize them do so because they disagree with their methods, not because they disagree with the goals. They are not automatically shunned because they are outsiders, and are even admired by some. Outsiders can "fit in," in a way, to the culture they live apart from.
Picture Credit: http://www.23hq.com/splandigo/photo/5426761