literary essay

Katie Cugini Cugini 1
Mrs. Greco
Eng IV- 2
February 11, 2007
Loneliness
Loneliness is a concept that all humans feel at one point or another. Moving to a new town, going away to summer camp, or dealing with the loss of a loved one are examples of when we may feel lonely. Many authors portray loneliness in their novels through their characters struggles. Several novels reveal the internal effects loneliness has on characters, such as the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In Yann Martel’s, Life of Pi, Pi is stranded on a lifeboat for months virtually all alone, and in Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Gregor is transformed into to giant bug, alienated from his family. All three of these classic novels explore to effects loneliness has on the character physically, mentally, and the effects it has on the relationships in his or her life.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein created a creature unlike any on the earth. In disgust at what he has created, Victor abandoned the creature, and left it to fend for its self. The creature soon realized that he was alone in the world, and was not like the other people. The monster tried to enter a town and be part of society, but instead they drove him away because of his hideous appearance. He is forced to live in a small shack, lonely and heartbroken over his situation in the world. From the shack, he watches the daily activities of the DeLacy family. His desire for companionship to end his loneliness makes him want to join the family, but he is too afraid of rejection. The creature becomes so lonely because he has no one to talk to or interact with. He sees Victor and his lover, Elizabeth, and how happy they are together, so the monster demands that Victor create him a partner. When Victor denies his request the monster decides to make Victor has lonely and miserable as he is by taking away everything Victor enjoys in life, which includes killing Victor’s lover, Elizabeth. In ­­Frankenstein, the monster symbolizes a horrible type of loneliness, feeling like the only one in the world, and that there is no one to help or confide in.
Another example of a character struggling with loneliness is Pi in Yann Martel’s, Life of Pi. Life of Pi is the story of a young boy’s fight for survival while having to overcome starvation, the elements, a giant tiger, and his own loneliness. After the ship Pi and his family were traveled on Pi found himself on a lifeboat all alone with only a few zoo animals, including a tiger. Pi soon realized that his family was most likely dead, and he was left alone to fend for himself. The thought of dying alone in the middle of the ocean created a feeling of complete loneliness for Pi. Being on a small lifeboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean was enough to make Pi feel more small, insignificant, and lonesome. His loneliness took a toll on his will to survive, but his faith in God made him keep trying and keep fighting to stay alive. Pi found that he only person he could turn to in his solitude was God, to give him hope that he wasn’t alone in the world and that he might actually survive. Weeks and weeks on the lifeboat made Pi feel like he was literally the only person in the world, which I imagine is the ultimate loneliness because he had no idea if he’d ever talk to a living person again.



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Loneliness does not necessarily mean one has to be physically alone with no one around, like in ­Life of Pi. Being alienated from others around can also evoke loneliness. In Franz Kafka’s, Metamorphosis, Gregor wakes up transformed into a giant bug. He had no way to communicate with his family and was immediately shunned. Before Gregor was turned into a bug, he was only very lonely. He worked constantly and had no time for friends or girlfriends, which would explain the magazine cut out of a beautiful woman. This symbolized Gregor’s longing for a companion but his working lifestyle leaves him feeling incomplete and lonely. I believe Gregor’s transformation into a bug symbolized Gregor’s feeling of alienation from his family, others around him, and simply life in general. Gregor’s loneliness is only amplified by his transformation into a bug because once a bug he is completely separated from his family, not able to communicate or interact with him. Gregor spent many lonely weeks hiding under the bed, slowly dieing from loneliness. After Gregor’s death, his family simply moved on as if it was nothing, and I think that symbolizes just how lonely and disconnected Gregor was from his family.
Everyone needs support, love, and acceptance in their lives and when we don’t loneliness usually ensues. In Frankenstein, Life of Pi, and Metamorphosis each character struggled with loneliness in their lives. Each felt helpless without companionship and unloved without friendship. As humans we cannot live without companionship, that’s why loneliness seems to take such a devastating toll on those experiencing it. The creature in Frankenstein was the only one of his kind, completely shunned from society, Pi was the only human on a small lifeboat in the middle of the ocean, and Gregor was a
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giant bug, shunned from his family. All these characters have one thing in common: all alone with nobody to give them the companionship and acceptance they so desperately needed.