New Hampshire · Question
How does New Hampshire develop the theme of Isolation and Community?
Answer
New Hampshire by Robert Frost develops Isolation and Community across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The work examines rural solitude, as in 'The Census-Taker' and 'Stopping by Woods,' alongside the quirky, interconnected lives of small-town New Englanders.
The chapter emphasizes extreme isolation, with the census-taker finding no community in the vast, empty landscape.
Baptiste uses the pretext of fixing the axe to invite the narrator into his home, suggesting a desire for neighborly connection and mutual understanding across cultural divides.
Paul's desire to keep his wife hidden contrasts with the communal curiosity of the lumber camp, highlighting tensions between privacy and social bonds.
Evidence in the book
- The Census-Taker
The chapter emphasizes extreme isolation, with the census-taker finding no community in the vast, empty landscape.
- The Axe-Helve
Baptiste uses the pretext of fixing the axe to invite the narrator into his home, suggesting a desire for neighborly connection and mutual understanding across cultural divides.
- Paul's Wife
Paul's desire to keep his wife hidden contrasts with the communal curiosity of the lumber camp, highlighting tensions between privacy and social bonds.
- Place for a Third
Eliza's wish to be buried alone contrasts with the communal nature of family plots, and Laban's interactions with John's sister reveal the tensions between individual desire and social expectations.
- Two Witches
Both witches are isolated figures within their communities, yet their identities are defined by communal gossip, town records, and local politics.
- I: The Witch of Coös
The mother and son live in a remote farmhouse behind a mountain, isolated from the outside world, and the secret of the bones binds them together.
- II: The Pauper Witch of Grafton
The narrator's status as a witch isolates her, yet she is entangled in community disputes over her legal residence.
- An Empty Threat
The narrator's solitary existence in the Arctic is tempered only by the occasional visits of Joe, highlighting the thin line between isolation and tenuous companionship.
