Newton Essay

All of us have differences that make us special, it is how life is. In fact, people like to associate with this explanation to clarify why they do not fit in a certain part of society. It then makes those differences seem like less of a burden and more like exceptional features that will help them stand out from the rest. However, when one’s differences actually exclude them from society, it is a completely different story. Indeed, this phenomenon is often discussed in literature, as it is not rare at all. For instance, in Jeanette Winterson’s short story "Newton", the author chooses to discuss the opposition between individualism and conformism to demonstrate that the situation the protagonist faces with the residents of his town is not an isolated case, since it can still be found in today’s society through a downfall process.

To begin the process, Tom, the protagonist of the short story, has serious trouble fitting in Newton’s criteria of normality. Even from the get-go, a feeling of loneliness and isolation is established to the point where we can feel how much he hurts. During Tom’s many monologues, he makes the observation that " all the men round here wear Levi’s, denims or chinos " and instead of theses, he wears corduroy. But Tom’s differences are not only physicals, they are also found in his head. For instance, when his neighbour comes to visit, she tells him that the whole town thinks " [he reads] to many geniuses ". So instead of being alienated by Newton’s way of thinking, Tom actually likes to cultivate himself with books written by brilliant people, like L’Étranger by Albert K. Mew. The book can be considered a form of symbolism since Tom is also seen like a stranger by everyone else in town. Likewise, the same situation is found in society’s outcasts. At first their differences may not seem that bad but the more people will point them out and mock them, the more those outsiders will feel like strangers.

This reflection brings the next step of the process, which is that by not fitting in, Tom is considered like a hopeless outsider by his peers. By seeing him all alone, the people of Newton decide they need to help Tom become "normal" in an effort to prove they "care" about him. But the whole set-up is not genuine, since they talk about him behind his back all the time. The neighbour even tells Tom that "Miss Fin at the library tells [her] " that he does not read the books they do. She then organizes a big meal and invites everyone over to make an intervention for Tom. Like she tells him, "we wanted to help you Tom". The thing is that they try to make the problem go away instead of learning to accept it, the problem being Tom’s differences. She erases the pages of L’Étranger to make him see that Newton will never accept the people that are different and who do not follow the rest. This harsh truth makes Tom realize that staying himself in Newton is a battle already lost and after too much outside pressure to change, he cracks. Similarly, our society puts so much pressure on the people who refuse to conform and change themselves to fit in that it becomes too much of a hassle for them. They then become too unstable and have breakdowns, like Tom.

Lastly, the final step is that Tom painfully decides to leave Newton for his own well-being. After hiding for a while, he reluctantly

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