Maniac Magee Group

Question:

b9e898
b9e898
Student
High School - 9th Grade

Why does Maniac leave town by walking down the center of Hector Street?

Hector Street is the that separates the blacks and the whites.

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Posted by b9e898 on Wednesday April 29, 2009 at 5:05 PM and tagged with hector street, maniac magee, prejudice.

Answers:

  1. slchanmo1885
    slchanmo1885 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Hector Street is the invisible line that separates the East side from the West side. Maniac, although he is white, has lived on both sides of Hector Street, and had good and bad experiences on both sides. Most of all, though, the worst thing he's found is that the two sides are separate. Maniac is the only one in town who ever crosses that invisible line and can exist on both sides of it. He lives without prejudice -- he sees people for who they are, and not the color of their skin. Maniac walking down the center of the street is symbolic of his straddling the line. Maniac is an outsider in many ways -- he doesn't fit into a mold. He can cross boundaries, he can walk the center of that line. The other people in town could do the same, only they don't believe that they could, so they never do it. Maniac doesn't prescribe to these beliefs and ideas, and he disregards them and goes about his business. He doesn't have a home, but he is welcomed on both sides of town. Maniac, although he is a child, is the only one who is truly wise in this story. He can see beyond discrimination and see people for who they really are. 

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    Posted by slchanmo1885 on Wednesday September 2, 2009 at 12:16 PM