Edward Scissorhands

     The movie Edward Scissorhands tells the story of a boy that was created by an inventor, edward was 'unfinished', he was left with scissors for hands because his maker died before he could install his real hands. The film defines what it is to be an outsider by showing how people can be excluded from the norm of society.

     The main identifying characteristic of an outsider is that the person differs from what everybody else has accepted is the correct way to live your life. In Edward's case he is not a natural human so that alone makes him stand out from the families of the suburbs, adding to the effect; Edward has scissors for hands which is different than everybody else's hands. The film brings up many situations where having scissors for hands can make any ordinary task such as eating peas one at a time, drinking out of a glass without a straw, or the comical scene with the water bed. The challenges that Edward faces when he attempts the normal everyday activities create a major handicap for him that makes him an outsider when compared to humans.

     There are ways other than having scissor hands that can make a person be considered an outsider. The Boggs family was instantly shunned from the society the moment they took Edward in after he was arrested. They were shunned because they took care of a 'criminal' that also happened to have scissors for hands. Kim was accepted by her friends before she met Edward, but after she began to accept him and fall for him, she drove away the people she once called friends. If someone is considered to be an outcast and there are people who will care for him; other people will consider the caregivers to be outsiders as well.

     The discussion group had an impact on how an outsider can be defined. When I first watched the film I didn't notice how Peg Boggs was treated as a outcast from the very beginning. Jaime Frazier's post in the discussion board opened my eyes to the fact that Peg could be an outsider. I thought about the time frame in the film, I'm guessing it was in the 50's or so; back then women just stayed at home but she was out there working and helping provide for her family.

    There was also another post in the board that made me rethink how we consider a person to be an outsider. Tricia Jones made an excellent observation in that as soon as the people could benefit from Edward he was no longer an outsider but a contributer to the community. This showed me how a person can be a good person but if they don't contribute then they are to be excluded and shunned.

     Both the film and the discussion board provided me with new insight that let me have a better understanding of what it means to be an outsider and how there are many different ways to be considered one. There are reasons beyond just physical difference that will characterize a person as an outsider when compared to what everybody else has accepted to be the 'right' way to live.