1. Self Reliance was written in a time when Ralph Waldo Emerson felt that humans were becoming too materialistic and dependent on others. He suggested that isolation may actually be the solution to our problems. This passage mirrors an approach that Ricky seems to take on throughout the film. After understanding that he needs to break free from social pressures and norms, he then knows what he truly wants. However, it took this time of isolation for him to come to this conclusion. Additionally, it is the break from society that allows Ennis and Jack in Brokeback Mountain and Clare in Passing to understand something significant about themselves. http://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/selfrelianessay.htm
2. These are two stories that mirror some of the feelings of isolation that Lester and Carolyn are feeling in their marriage. Like the characters in American Beauty, their relationships have become less of a desire and more of a routine. This false sense of security feeds into the deeper loneliness they feel. In the movie and these two stories, the characters are trying to keep their lives under control. However, because each character feels isolated from the others, they cannot connect and make their relationships work. http://www.nyx.net/~kbanker/chautauqua/carver.htm http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/cinichol/GovSchool/Cathedral2.htm
3. This is an article written in 2006 discussing the growing presence of isolated people in our society. It refers to the impact of race, class, and family on isolation in society. Although it suggests that there are some gains, there is a general trend of increasing lonliness and distrust. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Loneliness-Is-Getting-Rampant-in-America-27518.shtml
4. This is an article discussing the presence and causes of increased isolation in American society. One interesting point is that neighbors have increasingly retreated to their own homes, avoiding reaching out or making visits. This can be seen in American Beauty when the film shows the perfect neighborhood with the green lawns and matching houses. There appears to be harmony and security on this street. However, as we begin to learn, Rick and Jane's families both feel isolated from others in the town and alone even in their own homes. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/05/ap/national/mainD8JAHDG00.shtml
In Class
American Beauty (1999) directed by Sam Mendes Isolation is a prominent theme throughout American Beauty because it is something each of the characters experience. It is also a feeling many of the characters are struggling with and trying to overcome. Isolation not only separates the characters but it brings them together as a common theme. Although each family and each relationship appears to be genuine, we see beyond this outer appearance into the reality that the people are dealing with greater issues within themselves. However, one relationship which seems to overcome this barrio of isolation is that of Ricky and Jane. Both lonely and dissatisfied seem to come together and find each other despite these feelings. They actively seek the company of another person for sincere reasons, not for show or deception.
Jane Burnham
Ricky Fitts
Lester Burnham
Angela Hayes
Carolyn Burnham
Frank "Colonel" Fitts
(from IMDB.com)
In the picture above, although there are candles and roses, and the family appears to be happy, their distance around the table reveals their discomfort. This picture captures the family’s attempt to make their relationships appear stronger than they are. In reality, Lester, Carolyn, and Jane feel a distance from each other that cannot be masked by good food and nice lighting.
(from IMBD.com)
Jane and Angela, two characters who feel like they cannot trust anyone for much of the film, form an alliance through their individual isolation. Although their friendship is not extremely honest or caring, they each find comfort in having someone, anyone, who they can spend time with. Dead Man's Cellphone by Sarah Ruhl
Jean and Gordon both experience isolation in Dead Man’s Cell Phone, by Sarah Ruhl. Gordon is isolated at the time of his death because he is sitting alone at his table. He was also isolated during his life because he did not have many people who really cared about him. Jean is also isolated at the café because she is eating by herself. She is alone in thinking that Gordon was such a good person in life. Her relationship with Gordon is entirely in her own head. She is also alone when she sets off on her mission to spread good things about Gordon and she is alone when she goes to fight the other woman.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Road
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is, at its most basic level, a story about isolation. All the characters are literally isolated because there are very few people left in the world and they all lived their lives in relative isolation. The father welcomed the isolation because he was mainly concerned with the safety of his son and himself. He was afraid of taking a chance on other people because he could not trust them. The father and son become more and more isolated from each other as the story goes on because they continued to grow farther apart in their ideology.
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Many characters in Huck Finn have a sense of isolation. The story’s main characters, Huck and Jim, are isolated from the rest of the world during their journey. They are unable to tell anyone who they really are because they are afraid of getting caught. In many respects isolation is beneficial for Huck and Jim. Both characters are able to isolate themselves from the problems they have had in the past. Jim is isolated from slavery while Huck is isolated from his harsh life with Pap. Isolation is also bad for Huck and Jim because they are leaving people behind. Jim left without his family and he misses them tremendously. Huck often feels guilty from taking Jim away from Miss Watson. The isolation that Jim and Huck face helps to strengthen the bond between the two of them. They begin to develop a father-son relationship in addition to their strong friendship. Other examples of isolation in Huck Finn include the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons. These two families seem to be in their own little world. They have a rivalry going on and no one else seems to be involved besides Huck who stumbles upon them by mistake. The King and the Duke are also isolated from society because of their crimes.
Isolation plays a crucial role in Passing because each of the characters who decides to “pass” is isolating themselves from the outside world. They are concealing a secret about themselves that causes them to fake other parts of their lives. Catherine is one character whose decision to pass begins to dictate her whole life and isolate her from the people who are supposed to love her. For example, although her husband might provide security, there is innate separation in their marriage. Catharine’s decision to keep a secret from him that she knows will change his opinion of her is dishonest and isolating. Catharine has no choice but to conceal this information if she wants to be his wife, and she begins to live her life around this lie. Therefore, when Catharine finds the outlet of Irene, one person who supports and befriends her despite her secret, Catharine latches on and becomes addicted to the feeling of sharing a secret with someone else. Irene helps her realize that pretending her whole life is keeping her from developing the relationships which connect her to other people.
Brokeback Mountain
The role of isolation in BrokebackMountain is varied throughout the story. In a unique way, isolation becomes a positive and a negative for the characters. For example, when Ennis and Jack are up on the mountain, living a simple life in nature, completely removed from the “real world,” they are able to discover a part of who they are. The remote nature of Brokeback allows them to let go of making a certain impression. Contrastingly, once they return from Brokeback, Ennis and Jack encounter an isolation that hurts them. Back in society, both are forced to act the way they did when they left: they have to be strong husbands with wives and families, and they have to conceal their relationship with each other. This kind of isolation, where they are physically within society but mentally removed is detrimental. In the end, however, it seems like Ennis and Jack overcome and accept this feeling in their own ways, and finally comprehend what they discovered on Brokeback.
Isolation in this story is a signifigicant contribtion to the main character’s anger and lonliness. This desperation for company can be seen because she “[cries] at nothing, and [cries] most of the time. Of course [she] doesn’t know when John is here, or anybody else, but when [she’s] alone.” Her husband, John, thinks the best thing for her is to be away from the real world and away from other people who will stress her out. However, by isolating her, the woman begins to go crazy and see other women in the wallpaper that she wants to set free. Isolation, while is sometimes appears as a necessary ingredient, such as in Brokeback Mountian, in this story, isolatoin is the cause of her suffering. Isolation
begins to eat away at the woman until she cannot handle it anymore.
How to Breathe Under Water by Julie Orringer
Pilgrimsà a group of children gather on a thanksgiving day. Here, their parents often isolate the children in order to hide their agony and recover from their illnesses. This isolation creates a bizarre society for the motherless children. Adults are usually viewed as the supervisors who correct the children from doing the wrong things However, in this novel, the children are on their own, unable to recognize their limitless violence and immoral acts. They can do anything and not get into trouble. In some aspects, this children-oriented society gives them the opportunity to free themselves from the strict and constant supervision. Nonethelss, since the parents are too detached from the children, they don’t even realize Ella’s bleeding mouth and how peter murdered his own sister, Clarie.
Careà Tessa’s addiction for drugs (Devvie & Sally) demonstrate her isolationism from the society. Due to her lack of caring enviroment, she is extremely dependent on her drugs rather than reaching out for help. She sees Olivia, her cousin, who is well-cared and has the exact opposite life from that of Tessa. Stars of the Motown Shining Brightà in the story, the narrator talks about the girl named Conie who everyone dislikes. She goes out to skate and swears at Lucy for trying to help her. Although the story of Connie lasts only a page, the character demonstrates the desire to be independent and free from the social group. Jack Jacob, Mellisa, Lucy are apparently isolated from the society. They enjoy their hedonistic lives without the parental guidance. Especially, when Lucy finds a gun under a cabinet, she enjoys having the ultimate power to control herself, wielding the gun at Jack Jacobs for gaining her own indepence.
Smoothest way is full of stonesà despite Rebecca’s jewish moral codes, she begins to explore adult world through Esty and the book Essence of Persimmon: Eastern Sexual Secrets for Western Lives. They say it is a sin to read it but couldn’t control their curiosity. They separate themselves from the jewish community to practice those immoral sins. They physically hide themselves in a closet, under a bed, and in a shack in the woods to detatch themselves from the religious supervision.
Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
Isolation is a prominent theme in Middle Passage, by Charles Johnson. Rutherford Calhoun gets on the Republic in an attempt to isolate himself from his past life. On the ship he believes that he can make a new life for himself that is isolated from his past life and from Isadora. Captain Falcon is isolated in this story because he does not have any friends on the ship. He is in a position of power but everyone else is plotting against him. The Republic itself also experiences isolation. Sailing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the passengers on the Republic are in their own world. There are no outside influences and as a result they tear each other apart.
Story of an Hour Isolation is a key theme in this story because the woman finds that she loves freedom while being alone in her room. This is the same necessary isolation that Jack and Ennis discover on Brokeback Mountain.While some forms of isolation have been detrimental on different characters, isolation in these two stories has been what helps the characters realize what they truly want. The Storm Isolation in this story is created by the storm which keeps the mother separate from the father and her son. Because of this isolation, she engages in a forbidden love affair with an old friend. Similarly to Story of an Hour and Brokeback Mountain, this type of isolation shows something about who she is and what she really wants. Because she is alone, she is able to indulge in something she would never be able to pursue if her husband and son were home.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Jay Gatsby, one of the wealthiest characters in the novel, often finds himself under a moonlight, on the balcony, and in the pool, detatched from the people. Although he motivated himself to become a wealthy businessman in the city, he does not want any involvement with the people that are considered useless to him. Gatsby uses May Wolfsheim to bargain corrupt business and Nick Carraway to win Daisy. Other than those two characters and their businesses, Gatsby doesn't mention anything else. In fact, the isolation for Gatsby is sometihing that's useful for him to conceal his evil character and true self. At the end of the novel, he gets killed by Wilson on the pool, and only a few guests visit his funeral.
Chris, Gretchen, Steven
Outside Sources
1. Self Reliance was written in a time when Ralph Waldo Emerson felt that humans were becoming too materialistic and dependent on others. He suggested that isolation may actually be the solution to our problems. This passage mirrors an approach that Ricky seems to take on throughout the film. After understanding that he needs to break free from social pressures and norms, he then knows what he truly wants. However, it took this time of isolation for him to come to this conclusion. Additionally, it is the break from society that allows Ennis and Jack in Brokeback Mountain and Clare in Passing to understand something significant about themselves.
http://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/selfrelianessay.htm
2. These are two stories that mirror some of the feelings of isolation that Lester and Carolyn are feeling in their marriage. Like the characters in American Beauty, their relationships have become less of a desire and more of a routine. This false sense of security feeds into the deeper loneliness they feel. In the movie and these two stories, the characters are trying to keep their lives under control. However, because each character feels isolated from the others, they cannot connect and make their relationships work.
http://www.nyx.net/~kbanker/chautauqua/carver.htm
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/cinichol/GovSchool/Cathedral2.htm
3. This is an article written in 2006 discussing the growing presence of isolated people in our society. It refers to the impact of race, class, and family on isolation in society. Although it suggests that there are some gains, there is a general trend of increasing lonliness and distrust.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Loneliness-Is-Getting-Rampant-in-America-27518.shtml
4. This is an article discussing the presence and causes of increased isolation in American society. One interesting point is that neighbors have increasingly retreated to their own homes, avoiding reaching out or making visits. This can be seen in American Beauty when the film shows the perfect neighborhood with the green lawns and matching houses. There appears to be harmony and security on this street. However, as we begin to learn, Rick and Jane's families both feel isolated from others in the town and alone even in their own homes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/05/ap/national/mainD8JAHDG00.shtml
In Class
American Beauty (1999) directed by Sam Mendes
Isolation is a prominent theme throughout American Beauty because it is something each of the characters experience. It is also a feeling many of the characters are struggling with and trying to overcome. Isolation not only separates the characters but it brings them together as a common theme. Although each family and each relationship appears to be genuine, we see beyond this outer appearance into the reality that the people are dealing with greater issues within themselves. However, one relationship which seems to overcome this barrio of isolation is that of Ricky and Jane. Both lonely and dissatisfied seem to come together and find each other despite these feelings. They actively seek the company of another person for sincere reasons, not for show or deception.
In the picture above, although there are candles and roses, and the family appears to be happy, their distance around the table reveals their discomfort. This picture captures the family’s attempt to make their relationships appear stronger than they are. In reality, Lester, Carolyn, and Jane feel a distance from each other that cannot be masked by good food and nice lighting.
(from IMBD.com)
Jane and Angela, two characters who feel like they cannot trust anyone for much of the film, form an alliance through their individual isolation. Although their friendship is not extremely honest or caring, they each find comfort in having someone, anyone, who they can spend time with.
Dead Man's Cellphone by Sarah Ruhl
Jean and Gordon both experience isolation in Dead Man’s Cell Phone, by Sarah Ruhl. Gordon is isolated at the time of his death because he is sitting alone at his table. He was also isolated during his life because he did not have many people who really cared about him. Jean is also isolated at the café because she is eating by herself. She is alone in thinking that Gordon was such a good person in life. Her relationship with Gordon is entirely in her own head. She is also alone when she sets off on her mission to spread good things about Gordon and she is alone when she goes to fight the other woman.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is, at its most basic level, a story about isolation. All the characters are literally isolated because there are very few people left in the world and they all lived their lives in relative isolation. The father welcomed the isolation because he was mainly concerned with the safety of his son and himself. He was afraid of taking a chance on other people because he could not trust them. The father and son become more and more isolated from each other as the story goes on because they continued to grow farther apart in their ideology.
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Many characters in Huck Finn have a sense of isolation. The story’s main characters, Huck and Jim, are isolated from the rest of the world during their journey. They are unable to tell anyone who they really are because they are afraid of getting caught. In many respects isolation is beneficial for Huck and Jim. Both characters are able to isolate themselves from the problems they have had in the past. Jim is isolated from slavery while Huck is isolated from his harsh life with Pap. Isolation is also bad for Huck and Jim because they are leaving people behind. Jim left without his family and he misses them tremendously. Huck often feels guilty from taking Jim away from Miss Watson. The isolation that Jim and Huck face helps to strengthen the bond between the two of them. They begin to develop a father-son relationship in addition to their strong friendship. Other examples of isolation in Huck Finn include the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons. These two families seem to be in their own little world. They have a rivalry going on and no one else seems to be involved besides Huck who stumbles upon them by mistake. The King and the Duke are also isolated from society because of their crimes.
Passing by Nella Larsen
Isolation plays a crucial role in Passing because each of the characters who decides to “pass” is isolating themselves from the outside world. They are concealing a secret about themselves that causes them to fake other parts of their lives. Catherine is one character whose decision to pass begins to dictate her whole life and isolate her from the people who are supposed to love her. For example, although her husband might provide security, there is innate separation in their marriage. Catharine’s decision to keep a secret from him that she knows will change his opinion of her is dishonest and isolating. Catharine has no choice but to conceal this information if she wants to be his wife, and she begins to live her life around this lie. Therefore, when Catharine finds the outlet of Irene, one person who supports and befriends her despite her secret, Catharine latches on and becomes addicted to the feeling of sharing a secret with someone else. Irene helps her realize that pretending her whole life is keeping her from developing the relationships which connect her to other people.
Brokeback Mountain
The role of isolation in Brokeback Mountain is varied throughout the story. In a unique way, isolation becomes a positive and a negative for the characters. For example, when Ennis and Jack are up on the mountain, living a simple life in nature, completely removed from the “real world,” they are able to discover a part of who they are. The remote nature of Brokeback allows them to let go of making a certain impression. Contrastingly, once they return from Brokeback, Ennis and Jack encounter an isolation that hurts them. Back in society, both are forced to act the way they did when they left: they have to be strong husbands with wives and families, and they have to conceal their relationship with each other. This kind of isolation, where they are physically within society but mentally removed is detrimental. In the end, however, it seems like Ennis and Jack overcome and accept this feeling in their own ways, and finally comprehend what they discovered on Brokeback.
Here is an article by Ian Pugh from The Triangle.org about the presence of isolation in the movie Brokeback Mountain (extremely similar to the written short story) and some of the story's common misconceptions...
http://media.www.thetriangle.org/media/storage/paper689/news/2005/12/09/Entertainment/brokeback.A.Story.Of.Poignant.Isolation-1126261.shtml
Yellow Wallpaper
Isolation in this story is a signifigicant contribtion to the main character’s anger and lonliness. This desperation for company can be seen because she “[cries] at nothing, and [cries] most of the time. Of course [she] doesn’t know when John is here, or anybody else, but when [she’s] alone.” Her husband, John, thinks the best thing for her is to be away from the real world and away from other people who will stress her out. However, by isolating her, the woman begins to go crazy and see other women in the wallpaper that she wants to set free. Isolation, while is sometimes appears as a necessary ingredient, such as in Brokeback Mountian, in this story, isolatoin is the cause of her suffering. Isolation
begins to eat away at the woman until she cannot handle it anymore.
How to Breathe Under Water by Julie Orringer
Pilgrims à a group of children gather on a thanksgiving day. Here, their parents often isolate the children in order to hide their agony and recover from their illnesses. This isolation creates a bizarre society for the motherless children. Adults are usually viewed as the supervisors who correct the children from doing the wrong things However, in this novel, the children are on their own, unable to recognize their limitless violence and immoral acts. They can do anything and not get into trouble. In some aspects, this children-oriented society gives them the opportunity to free themselves from the strict and constant supervision. Nonethelss, since the parents are too detached from the children, they don’t even realize Ella’s bleeding mouth and how peter murdered his own sister, Clarie.
Care à Tessa’s addiction for drugs (Devvie & Sally) demonstrate her isolationism from the society. Due to her lack of caring enviroment, she is extremely dependent on her drugs rather than reaching out for help. She sees Olivia, her cousin, who is well-cared and has the exact opposite life from that of Tessa.
Stars of the Motown Shining Bright à in the story, the narrator talks about the girl named Conie who everyone dislikes. She goes out to skate and swears at Lucy for trying to help her. Although the story of Connie lasts only a page, the character demonstrates the desire to be independent and free from the social group. Jack Jacob, Mellisa, Lucy are apparently isolated from the society. They enjoy their hedonistic lives without the parental guidance. Especially, when Lucy finds a gun under a cabinet, she enjoys having the ultimate power to control herself, wielding the gun at Jack Jacobs for gaining her own indepence.
Smoothest way is full of stones à despite Rebecca’s jewish moral codes, she begins to explore adult world through Esty and the book Essence of Persimmon: Eastern Sexual Secrets for Western Lives. They say it is a sin to read it but couldn’t control their curiosity. They separate themselves from the jewish community to practice those immoral sins. They physically hide themselves in a closet, under a bed, and in a shack in the woods to detatch themselves from the religious supervision.
Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
Isolation is a prominent theme in Middle Passage, by Charles Johnson. Rutherford Calhoun gets on the Republic in an attempt to isolate himself from his past life. On the ship he believes that he can make a new life for himself that is isolated from his past life and from Isadora. Captain Falcon is isolated in this story because he does not have any friends on the ship. He is in a position of power but everyone else is plotting against him. The Republic itself also experiences isolation. Sailing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the passengers on the Republic are in their own world. There are no outside influences and as a result they tear each other apart.
Story of an Hour
Isolation is a key theme in this story because the woman finds that she loves freedom while being alone in her room. This is the same necessary isolation that Jack and Ennis discover on Brokeback Mountain. While some forms of isolation have been detrimental on different characters, isolation in these two stories has been what helps the characters realize what they truly want.
The Storm
Isolation in this story is created by the storm which keeps the mother separate from the father and her son. Because of this isolation, she engages in a forbidden love affair with an old friend. Similarly to Story of an Hour and Brokeback Mountain, this type of isolation shows something about who she is and what she really wants. Because she is alone, she is able to indulge in something she would never be able to pursue if her husband and son were home.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Jay Gatsby, one of the wealthiest characters in the novel, often finds himself under a moonlight, on the balcony, and in the pool, detatched from the people. Although he motivated himself to become a wealthy businessman in the city, he does not want any involvement with the people that are considered useless to him. Gatsby uses May Wolfsheim to bargain corrupt business and Nick Carraway to win Daisy. Other than those two characters and their businesses, Gatsby doesn't mention anything else. In fact, the isolation for Gatsby is sometihing that's useful for him to conceal his evil character and true self. At the end of the novel, he gets killed by Wilson on the pool, and only a few guests visit his funeral.