The Theme of Alienation in Kamala Markandaya's Fiction.

Alienation is a feeling of emotional isolation or exclusion from others and can be in the form of physical and mental and it is most often a combination of these forms. Throughout history and to the present day, hostility and prejudice continue to divide the human race because of the indifferences of people. Alienation can be a driving force that pushes human conscience to extremes as humans feel painfully alienated from social institutions that surround them. Friends, family, and society can all be suspects of alienation, and for victims, drastic changes consequently occur. In the literary works of “First Ice”, First Day, and Shinny Game Melted the Ice, the main characters experience such hostility and exclusion from friends, family, and society.

Our understanding can only ever be partial, and consequently we will always be ‘partially’ isolated from the truth… but to what extent? McEwan’s characterisation of Jed Parry provides an extreme example of how isolation and obsession can become a damaging force in our lives.

In the following short stories Eveline written by James Joyce, The Story of An Hour written by Kate Chopin, and A Rose For Emily written by William Faulkner we find that isolation is a popular theme throughout the stories. There are several factors in each one of the stories that makes us feel the isolation that each one of the women in the stated stories felt. Weather it is Eveline feeling stuck at home due to a request for her to tend to her family and resume the place of her deceased mother. Or Mrs. Mallard with her feeling that “it was only yesterday that she felt that life might be too long” (228). Along with Miss. Emily who seemed isolate her self form the word by closing her door for good. In the three

Isolation can bring many drastic things to occur, especially the interaction of people. In the Metamorphosis , there was an obsession in working excessively, which is reflected

One of the effects of the vicious poison of relationships known as lack of communication creates a side effect of isolation. Isolation is a position in which any human will make mistakes which they may greatly regret in the near future. This is exemplified when Ann is isolated at home and ends up cheating on John with Steve. After she has betrayed John she realizes of her

The Painted Door, by Sinclair Ross published in New York in 1941. Is isolation the enemy of our improvement, or is our worst possible counselor? The letter "i" in illness is isolation, it is a feeling through which a person feels and has thoughts about being rejected by others, which leads us to the conclusion that being in that state of mind leads a person in the company of our worst enemy, the one within ourselves. Being Isolated from John was the loneliness Ann had felt which made her feels like it was forced upon her, like a punishment.

Isolation, meaning a state of separation, is often misperceived by many as people frequently believe that isolation is always a negative state of being; that isolation due to emotions is non-realistic, and that isolation is always involuntary. These myths are commonly accepted; however, the novel Crow Lake takes a different stand from these myths. Mary Lawson, author of the novel, demonstrated isolations in many of its forms through the protagonist, Kate, and a small, desolated rural community that represented the primary setting of the novel, Crow Lake. By doing so, Lawson reveals the counterfactual nature of these myths and thus correcting the misconceptions that the society has about isolation.

Isolation can force an individual to make irrational choices by clouding their sense of cogent judgement. In Ross Sinclair’s short story, “The Painted Door,” the characteristics forced onto an individual as a result of confinement are clearly shown. Living on a small farm, John and Ann are faced with winter weather that is almost impossible to travel in. When their closest neighbor is five miles away, it’s hard for them to live in such a world where communication is sparse. Forced to live in such a world of isolation, Steven, Ann and John’s judgement to make rash decisions is limited and has a substantial impact on the individuals internally.

In short, Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby, the scrivener”, tells the tale of a successful lawyer hiring a new copyist and the challenges he faced with his new hire. Initially, the new hire, Bartleby, was extremely driven and very efficient. He had a great work ethic, and had an extraordinary output of writing for the head lawyer. On the third day Bartleby stunned his boss by preferring not to comply with his boss’s request. Bartleby’s refusal to comply was at first directed at anything outside of his copyist responsibilities, but gradually shifted toward refusing to do anything including his responsibilities as a copyist. Upon further analysis into Bartleby’s descent from a productive scrivener, to utterly useless in the office. I have found a connection between the people that isolate others because of differences, and the people that choose to stray away from “normal behavior”. This impacts the isolated person, people are negatively impacted when they live in isolation and have little personal and emotional connection with others. Without any emotional connection or contact with others, humans lose their purpose in life, or become useless like in Bartleby in the office.

Throughout the novel “House of Sand and Fog” by Andre Dubus III, the recurring theme of alienation takes its toll on the lives of the two main characters: Kathy and Behrani. We see how the isolation of both characters not only has an effect on them, but also on the lives of others who matter most to them. Alienation is the act of being withdrawn or isolated from a life in which one is accustomed or should be accustomed to. The incidents of alienation demonstrated in the novel include, the relationship between each character and their families, Behrani and his family being forced out of their home country and living in America, and Kathy getting evicted from her family house. As we see these events occur throughout the book, we also learn that both characters will do whatever it takes to claim ownership of what they both call home. This drawn-out battle over a piece of property ends up putting Kathy along with Lester behind bars, and with Behrani losing his son in the process.

The author has used all of these examples to accurately portray alienation and loneliness. The poor woman is so alone and isolated, and she doesn’t try to hide it in the least. Everything she writes about is how she is alone, crying, or trying to make someone else happy by doing something, or by not doing something, or she’s hiding what she’s doing to avoid getting in trouble. She can’t do anything that makes her happy. She’s trapped in this huge, ugly room with tattered wallpaper and bars on the windows. In fact, she focuses so much on the horrible paper that her condition continues to worsen. She’s told what to do and when

When the term “isolation” is used, most people think of it as an action performed in solitude. It brings to mind an empty space in which one person resides, far from all others. However, isolation does not always occur in a singular sense. In “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, isolation is used by a large population as a means of safety. In “The Thing Around Your Neck” by Chimananda Ngozi Adichie, isolation occurs among crowds of people and even in the company of someone close to one’s heart. In both aspects, isolation serves to exemplify the broken portions of life. Isolation is a destructive force and as a theme, isolation serves to exemplify a particular viewpoint and worldview while serving as both a cause and effect.

Forms of alienation come in many different ways. One way F. Scott Fitzgerald implements this modernist characteristic is by separating a husband and wife. Tom and Daisy, a rich married couple in this novel, were having a child. The only thing is, Tom was nowhere to be found when Daisy was giving birth to their daughter. “She was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up with an utterly abandoned feeling.” Tom had abandoned his real family in Daisy and his newborn daughter, leaving them isolated from the ones they really needed.

The author emphasizes the drastic contrast in the speaker's emotional state through the setting she finds herself in. She is taken from the comfort of her home and thrust both an environment and mind state of isolation. However, the setting also helps fuel the hatred that develops in the wife's mind for her husband. The speaker is ambivalent of her feelings for her

We are born into this world with a need to attach to other humans. Loneliness is something we try combat and we every go as far as to surround ourselves with mindless people just to flee the solitude. With attachment comes love, an exposed wounds to the elements. Undying care is projected on to family or friends or lovers. The fear of loneliness paired with the loss of love can cause one to want the world to cease. In W. H. Auden’s Stop All the Clocks, Cut Off the Telephone paints a picture of requested seclusion.