Outliers Gladwell Analysis

It is the relationships individuals depend on most that fail them in the trials of life. In his novel, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell appeals to the emotions of the readers in order to convey this message as he examines the lives of several particular individuals. Gladwell explains the story of a man named Chris Langan who is constantly involved in negative relationships. Gladwell writes: “He [Langan’s father] would lock the kitchen cabinets so the boys couldn’t get to the food. He used a bullwhip to keep the boys in line. He would get jobs and then lose them, . . .” (Gladwell 92). In order to appeal to the reader’s emotions, Gladwell has very precise diction in each of his details. The words “lock,” “bullwhip,” and “lose,” are incorporated into his descriptions in order to create a

frightening image of Chris’ unhealthy home life. This frightening image allows readers to envision Chris’ situation and feel or connect with the emotions Langan experiences.

The word “lose” invokes a depressing feeling because it emphasizes the influential message Chris is presented with as he grows up: loss is acceptable and is something he should become accustomed to. Gladwell goes on to explaining the rest of Chris’ life with descriptions of similar relationships to the one mentioned above, including unfavorable roommates with poor morales. The ongoing precise descriptions of Langan’s horrible life continue to target the reader's emotions. Although the appeal to emotion may steer the reader away from faults in Langan’s logic, this appeal to emotion is used with the intent to make the author’s point about Langan’s life easy to follow. The keen attention to word choices make the emotions stand out to the reader and reside in them. Using a similar approach, Gladwell demonstrates the lack of support that may exist within relationships between children and working class parents. Gladwell explains: “Katie Brindle - sang in a choir after school. But she signed up for it herself and walked to choir practice on her own. Laureau writes: .

. . ‘she [Katie’s mother] cannot afford to cultivate her daughter’s talent. Instead she frames Katie’s skills and interests as character traits--’” (103). In order to make Katie’s story more meaningful to the reader, Gladwell uses an appeal to emotion. Again, he pays extremely close attention to detail in his writing in order to make the reader sympathize for Katie. He uses phrases such as “on her own” and “cannot afford” in order to emphasize that despite Katie’s perseverance to pursue her talents, she is not going to receive the support necessary for her success. These phrases invoke feelings of sadness and helplessness. In addition, Gladwell compares Katie’s story to those of children in more privileged communities. Showing this drastic contrast between Katie’s support and the support kids in privileged families receive intensifies the feelings of sadness. These emotions force the readers to realize that the relationship Katie has with her mother is actually destructive for Katie. Similarly to Chris Langan, her relationship with her mom is not a relationship that will push her to grow and develop her talents. Due to these destructive relationships, these individuals will not be given the necessary support to help them learn to thrive and will not provide the steps and opportunities for a successful life.