Isolation and Community

Where it surfaces

• 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.

• A Fountain, a Bottle, a Donkey’s Ears and Some Books

  Clara Robinson's life 'shut in' for years contrasts with the communal act of publishing and the later abandonment of her home.

• The Runaway

  The colt's isolation in the pasture and the speaker's call for someone to take him in underscore the tension between solitary exposure and communal responsibility.

• Two Look at Two

  The couple's isolation on the mountain is transformed into a sense of communion with the earth through the deer's presence.

• The Lockless Door

  The speaker's choice to flee rather than open the door reflects a tension between solitude and the unknown visitor.