Social Marginalization

Where it surfaces

• I

  Patsy and Mary's scavenging and makeshift camp highlight their marginalized status as landless travelers.

• IV

  The Mac Canns are poor travelers, concerned about appearances and shame before the strangers, highlighting their vulnerable social position.

• VII

  Mac Cann's comment that trouble is the only chance for the poor reflects the precariousness and marginalization of the rural poor.

• VIII

  Mac Cann's account of a stranger's critique of the rich grabbing food and exploiting workers highlights class struggle and the marginalization of the poor.

• IX

  Mac Cann stands outside organized society, unrecognized and unseen, yet is paradoxically at its heart, living in the neglected pastures of civilization.

• X

  The chapter contrasts the suspicion and fear of settled householders toward wandering folk, highlighting the outcast status of travelers like Mac Cann and the angels.

• XIII

  Eileen is labeled a 'bad woman' for her sexual freedom, reflecting societal judgment and marginalization of women who defy norms.

• XV

  Eileen's wandering life and her pride in being alone highlight the marginal existence of a woman without a settled home or family.

• XIX

  Eileen Ni Cooley is verbally and physically attacked, reflecting her vulnerable position as a woman alone among the group.

• XX

  The travelers' existence on the fringes of society, their encounters with other marginalized figures like Billy the Music, and their reliance on theft and foraging highlight social exclusion.

• XXI

  Billy describes how laborers were exploited and dehumanized, while he himself was marginalized by market forces beyond his control.

• The Encounter with Eileen Ni Cooley

  Eileen Ni Cooley is portrayed as a woman caught between men, unable to go her own way.

• XXXI

  The Mac Canns' poverty and reliance on buried treasure, along with their uneasy relationship with the angels, underscore their marginalized status.