So… what is the difference?
What we can see by looking at the examples is that although alienation and isolation are similar, they have a few differences in terms of how and why they are used. Alienation gives the sensation of hope, even if it’s very little. When someone is alienated, they are no longer part of a group, but knowing the group exists gives the possibility of acceptance later on. This is seen in both pieces examined. In “A Very Short Story”, although neither main character is in a good position at the end, they did have a connection at one point, meaning that they both might be able to overcome the challenges they face and eventually find love. In “The Gilded Six-Bits”, we see the main characters return to an uplifting position at the end. They were able to move past what happened, and over time there is the possibility that they return to normal. On the other hand, isolation gives a stronger sense of hopelessness, as there are no groups for the main characters to return to or strive towards. In “Sexy”, Miranda discovers where she thought she belonged was a facade, and she is left in a state of un-belonging. In “Bean Eaters” there is no hope for the couple described to return to a phase in life that they enjoy, and they will most likely be stuck in their current state of life until they pass away.
What caused this?
In the modernist era, the great depression was a huge event happening. The sudden crash of the stock market sent millions into poverty and destroyed America’s flourishing economy after the war. When the stock market crashed, there was hope for rebuilding America to the state it was in during the prior years. I think this idea of hope translated to the writing at the time. Of course the writing isn’t uplifting, as it would not be representative of the country at the time, but it was sprinkled with hope. This mindset was important to many Americans as they needed to believe in the economies ability to recover and once again flourish. This era is what started this idea of lonesomeness. Postmodernism took many themes from modernism and brought them to the extremes. Taking alienation to the extreme results in complete isolation. Postmodernists believed that there was no center in America, but subjective truth for each people living the same reality. This mindset translated to a completely lost feeling in some, which is shown in their writing.