Isolation; the feeling of complete loneliness does not always occur when one is alone, but this desperate feeling that there is no way out can happen even if once is not physically isolated. Emotionally though, one can feel utterly alone and abandoned. Simply, what happens is that one becomes so caught up in mainstream society that they lose an ability to interact successfully with others. Eventually, they will begin to feel that they have become so insignificant that nothing the do will be able to pull themselves away from the barren abyss. More or less this is what happens for the main female characters in both Hills Like White Elephants by Earnest Hemingway, and Girl by Jamaica Kincaid. Both characters find themselves isolated as they struggle to support the social mask that acts as a double-edged sword in that it protects ones emotional well being but also isolates they wearer from those around them.
In Kincaid’s Girl, the story is how to become a proper ‘lady’ while avoiding the perilous pitfalls of a common slut. The narrator struggles to keep up to all the rules that are being recited off for her as if there were a shopping list and she soon feels trapped in this very ridged gender role. However, by taking on this generic role as a female, the narrator is also creating a new identity for herself to the extent that she will act a different way around everyone. In the lecturing of the narrator’s guide, the young girl is taught multiple ways ‘to smile to those [she] doesn’t like…those [she] doesn’t like at all… and those [she] likes completely” (Kincaid, 280). Not being able to fully express one’s individuality can lead that person to feel alone and isolated as they lose their meaning of self. Sadly, if one does not know wh...
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... from the intense feeling of isolation they must be willing to make themselves vulnerable to make an emotional impact and connection to another person. By doing so we break down the barriers that have been implemented by society and begin to interact with one another on a more personal level and it becomes more intimate immediately. If we want to keep any bit of self-identity we must be willing to shelve the mask and persona every once in a while so that we don not forget who and what we are deep inside.
Works Cited
Gwynn, R.S., and Wanda Campbell, Eds. "Girl." Fiction: A Pocket Anthology. By Jamaica Kincaid. 2nd Edition. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada, 2005. 279-80. Print.
Gwynn, R.S., and Wanda Campbell, Eds. "Hills Like White Elephants." Fiction: A Pocket Anthology. By Earnest Hemingway. 2nd Edition. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada, 2005. 124-28. Print.
Isolation can be a somber subject. Whether it be self-inflicted or from the hands of others, isolation can be the make or break for anyone. In simpler terms, isolation could range anywhere from not fitting into being a complete outcast due to personal, physical, or environmental factors. It is not only introverted personalities or depression that can bring upon isolation. Extroverts and active individuals can develop it, but they tend to hide it around crowds of other people. In “Richard Cory,” “Miniver Cheevy,” The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Not Waving but Drowning,” E.A. Robinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Stevie Smith illustrate the diverse themes of isolation.
Dhruv Khullar’s article “How Social Isolation is Killing Us,” published by the New York Times, addresses the public about the dangers of the growing epidemic. Utilizing various sources, studies, and even his own stories, Dr. Khullar discusses the health effects and mental effects on a person who is considered socially isolated. He improves the article by discussing how treating social isolation is hard and gives examples of programs that help those who feel alone. The article “How Social Isolation is Killing Us” is a thorough and well-constructed argument that clearly explains dangers of social isolation through the author’s use of logos, pathos, and ethos.
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills like White Elephants." Responding to Literature. Ed. Judith Stanford. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. 841-44. Print.
Burroway, Janet. Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2003. As Rpt. in Rankin, Paul "Hemingway's `Hills Like White Elephants'." Explicator, 63 (4) (Summer 2005): 234-37.
I come to Fordham University with expectations of completing my Masters of Art degree in Social Service. As a single parent, I have faced many challenges raising my special needs child. My innovation to help disadvantaged children with social and emotional problems encompassed me to continue to pursue a career in the Social Service Profession. This will increase my chances of being a successful Child Therapist. I am aware, prepared and committed to devoting my time towards my studies at Fordham University as well as taking advantage of all the necessary resources that Fordham University has to offer. My personal, academic and profession experience has given me the opportunity
---, "Hills Like White Elephants." The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Charles Scribner?s Sons, 1953. 273-278.
Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. 268-272.
Social withdrawal and social isolation can make it difficult to do the things you normally would enjoy or sometimes make it hard to get through the day. There are ways to avoid becoming distant. In “A Rose for Emily,” “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” “Miniver Cheevy,” “Miss Brill,” “Richard Cory,” and “Not Waving but Drowning,” each author uses the theme of isolation to illustrate all the literature.
Do you ever feel trapped when you are in a place that you have never been before? Isolation criticizes society since it does not let everyone be equal or have the same rights. Isolation can completely change a person, and it is usually for the worst. Society “acts” like they try to prevent isolation, but in reality they isolate people for certain reasons, then those people get judged for being “different.” Upon closer inspection it is human nature to deny equal rights because people that do not act, dress, or look the same are labeled as strange, and unfortunately, many times are not accepted by the majority of society. This gives authors a way to shine a light on society’s flaws.
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. DiYanni, Robert. 2nd ed. New York. Mc Grew Hill. 2008. 400-03. Print.
Personal statement. In contrast with the formal writing sample, we use the personal statement to get to know you a little better. The personal statement should be a maximum of 1700 words. Please use the personal statement address the following three questions:
The art, literature, and poetry of the early 20th century called for a disruption of social values. Modernism became the vague term to describe the shift. The characteristics of the term Modernism, all seek to free the restricted human spirit. It had no trust in the moral conventions and codes of the past. One of the examples of modernism, that breaks the conventions and traditions of literature prior to Modernism, is Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants”. The short story uses plot, symbolism, setting, dialogue, and a new style of writing to allow human spirit to experiment with meaning and interpretation.
Solitude. Examples are found of this idea throughout the one-hundred-year life of Macondo and the Buendia family. It is both an emotional and physical solitude. It is shown geographically, romantically, and individually. It always seems to be the intent of the characters to remain alone, but they have no control over it. To be alone, and forgotten, is their destiny.
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. Eds. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2010. 113-117. Print.
...e or friendship. We are taught that we don't have an identity if we are alone. Which is why we treat loneliness as a disease, one to be avoided at any cost. Loneliness is viewed as an inadequacy of our personalities. Though all of us are taught to be independent, our independence is superficial. We can cook, clean, and do our laundry but we can't seem to take care of our emotions independently. We are taught that we need to share all our emotions. And I believe that however hard we search we can never get the kind of understanding that we are looking for. We are taught to be uncomfortable in our own world. Society conditions us to believe that we are inadequately equipped to be alone and content. And that alone always means lonely.