"I'm nobody; who are you?  Are you a nobody too?"
Emily Dickenson

Examples from future readings

Isolation through self centered sin

Isolation through the forces of nature

Isolation through external cultural forces

Isolation through a unique spiritual or esthetic perspective.

Isolation in contrast to Solitude

Introduction
 

"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;"

Genesis 2:18 (English-KJV)

"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."

Genesis 3:12 (English-KJV)

It is a telling point that the above quote, taken from the Genesis account of Humanity's beginnings, describes isolation as Man's first problem. It is even more telling that by the end of this narrative, God has provided an answer, only to have that answer undone. So the story ends with the two representatives of humanity not only separated from God, but separated from one another as well. Whatever else we glean from Adam and Eve's story we learn that isolation is tragically a central quality of human existence.

Literature is filled with various examples of individuals struggling to get out of, or at least trying to deal with, the state of isolation.  Here are just a few examples from works we will be covering this semester:

Examples

Alone, alone, all, all alone,
Alone on a wide wide sea !
And never a saint took pity on
My soul in agony.

Coleridge from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

"The youth studied the faces of his companions, ever on the watch to detect kindred emotions. He suffered disappointment."

Crane from The Red Badge of Courage

"Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.. . Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, `My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?' No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blind men's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, `No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!'"

Dickens from A Christmas Carol

 My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things, seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening. At such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip, late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried; and that Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard, intersected with dykes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes; and that the low leaden line beyond, was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip.

Dickens from Great Expectations (Chapt. One)

Loneliness or isolation, caused by the divorce from one's loved ones, surroundings, God (or gods) and even one's self is so universal an experience that it appears consistently in works from different authors, time periods, and even cultures.  Although intensely complex there seem to be some basic divisions of types of isolation:

Isolation through self centered sin

It isn't popular to speak of "sin" now-a-days, but whether we like it or not, authors through western history right up to the 20th century believed in a quality of human behavior which was self-centered and self motivated to the exclusion of others.  The narrator in Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a fine example of this.  Be on the lookout in our readings for other examples. This first type differs from the others in that its cause comes primarily from the inner person.

Isolation through the forces of nature

Isolation of this type is caused by what may seem like obvious physical forces which separate individuals from others.  A classic example in literature is Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.  A reality humans have faced is that journeys in the world with its unpredictable events sometimes separates individuals from their homes and loved ones.

Isolation through external cultural forces

 Consider the poem by Coleridge "The Dudgeon."  Humans will sometimes isolate other humans through prejudice and ignorance.

Isolation through a unique spiritual or esthetic perspective.

Think of the isolation which Jesus experienced because he strove towards an intimate relationship with God.  Think of Moses when he came down from the mountain and was forced to wear a veil over his face.  His close encounter with God separated him from the other Israelites.  Poets experience something similar.  "Kubla Khan" demonstrates this.

Isolation in contrast to Solitude

In the Fall of 2001 my Intro to Lit class suggested that a major difference exists between isolation and solitude.  Ironically the difference has nothing to do with being alone in the flesh. Human beings, the class noted, can be forced into physical isolation by any of the final four qualities and yet not be spiritually cut off if there is something within them that helps them face the silence of their surroundings. Only the first quality, the self-centeredness of sin, is insurmountable. Thus, for the romantics a source of strength when facing desolation was the power of creation found in nature; for Christians, meanwhile, this source has been and continues to be the greater power found within the creator Himself.  The class agreed that the Romantics weren’t lying about their experience but that they were settling for a reflected light against their darkness rather than basking in its true source.