Theme Of Loneliness In Animal Dreams

“The Tide of Loneliness” One of the most disconcerting aspects of human nature is the concept of loneliness. The feeling of being utterly alone is confronted by everyone at some point, and is not easily conquered. Throughout life, everyone encounters this isolation, coupled by the obstacle of finding a place to belong to. In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Animal Dreams, she addresses the potent longing that drives one to seek out one’s own niche in one’s life, while celebrating the shifting ties between family and friends that moves one to keep back the tide of loneliness. The novel showcases the starkly human desire to find a place of belonging, through Cosima’s hesitant search for her identity and her unwavering bond with a sister she cannot help but idolize. From the very beginning of the book, Cosima (Codi)’s utter devotion and near-worship for her sister is recognizable. Codi immediately distanced herself from the achievements of Hallie: “I am the sister who didn’t go to war” (Kingsolver 1). Stevenson remarks: “In her first three sentences, Codi defines herself by negation and implies that the real story is happening elsewhere, with Hallie as hero” (185). From the outset, Codi has already described herself as what she is not, in terms of

Kingsolver brings the story to a close by having Codi find completion in the revival of the same place she grew up in. Codi's relationship with her sister, beginning in their unique childhood with a distant father, and ending with Hallie's shattering death, is the same component that leaves her running in place until she is able to grasp her identity. At last, Codi is able to live life free from reserve and allow herself to inhabit a meaningful place in her town. Animal Dreams is a stirring story of detrimental loss, engulfing/searing isolation, and finding one’s self against all