Everyone's an outsider...

Throughout the various books we've read in class, there has been one significant theme that I've noticed: in one way or another, everyone seems to be an outsider. In Great Expectations, for instance, we had the obvious outsiderness of Pip and Miss Havisham, but after discussion, it became clear that Estella didn't really fit in, either. She was of questionable background, and had been groomed into an emotionally deadened doll by Miss Havisham. Joe and co. didn't fit in the city or into Pip's ideal world, and even among themselves didn't tend to form close relationships. Then, in Lolly Willowes, the entire town of Great Mop ostracized itself from the rest of the world, and when Lolly chose not to fall in with them (although still submitting to the Devil) she became an outsider among outsiders. In Burmese Days, one of the main themes of the novel itself was that no one fit, not the English among the Burmese nor the Burmese among the English nor the English among themselves. And now, when we follow Christopher through Swindon and London, once again, every character we meet is in some way an outsider. Christopher's disability makes his alienation more evident, but his father has no support system either. The people he meets at school all have their own problems, and those he meets outside of school are all alone: Mrs. Shears, Ms. Alexander. 

Although it is certainly true that some characters are more clearly or completely outsiders than others, I think one of the most important things to take away from this course is the fact that truly fitting in in every way is next to impossible, and that everyone suffers from or chooses (or, in some cases, both) some form of separation from the fold.