Maniac Magee

Hector Street serves as the boundary between the East End and West End of Two Mills. Black people live in the East End and white people live in the West End. Although Two Mills is not racially segregated in legal terms, its de facto segregation is likely the result of a long history of prejudice and “redlining,” in which a town’s demographics are unofficially used to determine its property values. In Two Mills, adults rarely go beyond Hector street to the other side of town unless they have to cross the unofficial boundary for work and even then, they only cross Hector Street in the daytime. Kids only cross Hector Street for school and sports games. These rules have been passed down over time, so that some children, like Russell and Piper McNab, grow up thinking that the other side of town harbors an enemy who is just waiting for an opportunity to attack. However, Maniac’s adventures on both sides of Hector Street demonstrate that some people on both sides of town—like the Pickwells, the Beales, and others who allow Maniac to sleep on their property—are kind and compassionate to everyone, no matter the color of their skin. On the surface, crossing Hector Street represents a feat of bravery that distinguishes those, like Maniac, who cross it casually; such an action runs counter to the social norms of Two Mills and initially adds to his legendary status. However, on a deeper level, Hector Street is a physical representation of the dark side of human nature: a geographical landmark that embodies racism itself in small-town America. As Maniac notes in the end, the town itself is not a racially divided entity—it is the people within the town who decided however long ago that the residents should be segregated. When Maniac, the heroic legend of Two Mills, shows everyone that it’s safe to cross Hector Street, he blurs the “invisible chalk line” (76) between the two groups and weakens the power that such divisions hold over the townspeople.