# How does The Black Opal develop the theme of Isolation and Self-Governance?

> The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard

## Answer

The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard develops Isolation and Self-Governance across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The remote Ridge community governs itself by popular custom and a code of freedom, resisting external authority and corporate control, valuing leisure and independence over wage labor.

The funeral on the plains and the mother's wish for Sophie to grow up in the quiet of the Ridge emphasize the isolated, self-contained community.

The Ridge as a self-contained world where Michael and the community try to manage their own affairs.

The Ridge's self-contained society, with its own gossip and norms, is highlighted through Mrs. Watty Frost's prejudices and the miners' discussions.

## Evidence

- [part-i-i](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-i-i.md): The funeral on the plains and the mother's wish for Sophie to grow up in the quiet of the Ridge emphasize the isolated, self-contained community.
- [part-i-iv](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-i-iv.md): The Ridge as a self-contained world where Michael and the community try to manage their own affairs.
- [part-i-vii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-i-vii.md): The Ridge's self-contained society, with its own gossip and norms, is highlighted through Mrs. Watty Frost's prejudices and the miners' discussions.
- [part-i-viii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-i-viii.md): The Ridge operates as a self-governing entity, with popular custom and opinion at Newton's bar serving as the seat of government, and external laws respected or disregarded as the community sees fit.
- [part-i-ix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-i-ix.md): The encounter on the dusty road and the wild, open plains emphasize the isolated setting and the characters' self-reliant lives.
- [part-ii-ii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-ii-ii.md): The debate over handling rats reflects the isolated community's struggle to maintain order without effective external law enforcement.
- [part-ii-iv](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-ii-iv.md): The Ridge community's independence is highlighted by their refusal to sell to Armitage and Son.
- [part-ii-v](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_black_opal_se/chapters/part-ii-v.md): Sophie's return to the remote Ridge as a place of peace and refuge underscores the isolation and self-contained community.

## Links

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