Both The Virgin and the Gipsy and "That Evening Sun" deal with characters who are social "outsiders" living under social restrictions. The Virgin and the Gipsy is a picture of the social climate in England. Characters like Cynthia, the Eastwoods and the gipsies are affected by social snobbery. "That Evening Sun" is the portrayal of Nancy, a black woman, who struggles against racism. The outsiders from these selections are physically, emotionally, and socially isolated.
             Physical isolation impacts many of the characters in the two stories. Nancy from "That Evening Sun" is isolated to her cabin away from the White people because the family that she works for does not accept her. She is forced to go home to her cabin all alone. The ditch that is outside of Nancy's cabin is symbolic to her isolation. It is very difficult for Nancy to cross over the ditch because it shows the indifference of the white population to the misery of the Blacks. When Nancy says, "If I can just get past this here ditch,"(207) it is physically traumatizing to cross the ditch. She does not want to cross because beyond the ditch is her world of isolation and proves her rejection from society. Similar to Nancy, the Eastwoods are also physically isolated in their private cottage in the country. The Eastwoods are outsiders because of their illegal marital status and are immoral.
             In contrast to Nancy, the Eastwoods are quite content living off alone in a cottage. They are similar to the gipsies who also live alone. The Eastwoods and the gipsies are different from Nancy because they are satisfied with their different lifestyle. And even though society sees the Eastwoods and the gipsies as social outsiders, some people, like Yvette, are intrigued by their lifestyle.
             Emotional isolation plays a part in all of the social outsiders' lives, and also affects those who are not considered to be outsiders. Nancy can...