Maniac Magee

Jeffrey is the novel’s 12-year-old white protagonist who runs away from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, where he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle after the deaths of his parents. He was orphaned at three years old when his parents died in a trolley accident. Fed up with his detached aunt and uncle who never speak to each other, he runs across the river and ends up in Two Mills, a racially segregated town in which the white residents reside on the West End while the Black residents reside on the East End. Maniac becomes a legendary figure on both sides of town, transcending social boundaries as he accomplishes nearly impossible feats that impress the local townspeople. Throughout the novel, Maniac desperately searches for a succession of places to call home, shifting from one to the next and feeling lonely and abandoned. First, he meets the Beales, a Black family who lovingly decide to take him in after learning that he is unhoused. Maniac happily memorizes the Beales’ address because he knows the numbers symbolize family and belonging. However, some Black townspeople begin calling Maniac names and demanding that he go to the white West End. They retaliate against the Beales by destroying one of Amanda’s prized books and causing other problems for the family, so Maniac runs away again, fearing that his presence will cause more retaliation against the Beales. He then meets and gladly lives with Mr. Grayson, a park attendant, but the old man passes away after only a few months. Once again lonely and unhoused, Maniac runs around Two Mills and sleeps in the zoo. After his experiences with the Beales and Grayson, Maniac is apprehensive about finding a home. He believes that getting close to people only causes pain, both for himself and for those who take him in. He believes that he is cursed to be alone and doesn’t deserve to have a proper family.

Gradually, Maniac unwittingly blurs the town’s de facto racial divide as he explores both sides of the town and befriends the people who live there. He begins as the obvious outsider in a town already plagued by divisive social patterns. His dirty clothes, worn sneakers, and white skin make him stand out even more when he arrives in the East End. Throughout his adventures, he crosses into both sides of town, bewildering residents who have been too afraid or ignorant to do the same. His feats of bravery, wit, and agility soon propel him to an almost mythical status. He becomes a legend throughout the town, and his exploits allow the townspeople to see that skin color shouldn’t be a barrier to friendship and compassion. As Maniac helps some of the townspeople to overcome their ignorance, they in turn help him to realize that family can be found everywhere: in the Pickwells, the welcoming white family that always invites Maniac to a meal; in the McNab siblings, the rowdy white children whom Maniac mentors; and in the geography and landscape of the town itself. In the end, as he accepts Mars Bars’s invitation for dinner and Amanda’s demand for him to return to the Beales’ home, Maniac realizes that he is indeed deserving of love, acceptance, and a home.