Outliers: Occasion and Purpose

     In the novel, Outliers,  Malcolm Gladwell focuses on the reality that success achieved solely by an individual is nonexistent. Gladwell shared that this book was a result of his frustrations toward the manner in which the vast majority of people in society regard the concept of success. With this book, Gladwell attempts to express his newfound theories on how people manage to be considered successful by society. 

     Gladwell’s perception of success is that it requires multiple contributors. He believes that a group effort of members of society is the only possible way to be successful. His purpose for writing this book is to shed light on the fact that people can’t achieve goals by themselves. He wants people to realize that success is actually more dependent upon one’s surroundings than themselves. He claimed he wrote this book because it could potentially change the perspectives of success possessed individuals and society as a whole.  

     This book succeeds at revealing many aspects of success that often go unnoticed by most people. Such factors are birthdates, relationships with others, culture, and ethnic background. Gladwell has discovered that success comes mainly from uncontrollable variables in one’s life rather than one’s actions. Outliers is Gladwell’s great effort to halt the growth of societies misconceptions of the truths of successful people. The idea intended to be spread by this book is that your success is not in your own hands but in the hands of society and nature. 

-Emily Jue