Thing and Marginal Things

Importance of Margins In the short essay "In Praise of Margins" Ian Frazier defines marginal people, places, or activities as "... the ones that don't quite work out" (58 Frazier) since they are insufficient to meet the standards of the economic world. However, Frazier shows he values marginal activities and places because they allow people to be themselves without the worry and judgment. For Frazier and his friends, they viewed "The woods" (56 Frazier) as their place of margin Often times society deems marginal behavior to be unbeneficial, but Frazier states "..marginal behavior can be the most important kind."(58 Frazier) because every purpose-filled activity starts off as a margin. Nonetheless, it is crucial for marginal things to exist as they provide many benefits and play an important role in the world we live in today. Living in a society where we are constantly being told what to do , marginal activities are necessary because they can allow oneself to discover what one's true passion is without any other influences. For example, in Annie Dillard's "Hitting Pay Dirt" she describes the time she received a microscope kit, as a Christmas present, which she played with constantly in her basement. In the beginning, Dillard is unable to use her microscope properly, but ultimately succeeds as she sees an amoeba. Excited about what she had discovered, she immediately runs upstairs to show her parents; however, both of her parents are uninterested to what had seemed like "..a chance of a lifetime."(95 Dillard) to Dillard. As a result, she then begins to realize that every individual has their own pursuits and "...that you do what you do out of your private passion for the thing itself."(95 Dillard). Dillard explains that ”[Her] days and nights were [her] own to plan and fill."(96 Dillard) and her passions were her own and not her parents. In a world where everything is constantly evolving and expanding , margins are much needed as they are the sole reason