Isolation In The English Patient

Social Isolation: A Lack of Belonging in Ondaatje’s The English Patient

Loneliness is a common yet unpleasant emotional response to isolation. A feeling of isolation can be caused through a disconnection to society; sometimes because of a person’s race or their gender. In a society that is becoming increasingly liberal at a surprising rate, many believe that this discrimination will become obsolete. However, in Ondaatje’s The English Patient, the characters’ nationalities and genders are made obvious, suggesting that a person’s race or gender can lead to a lack of a sense of belonging thereby preventing them from succeeding. Kirpal, and Indian man fighting for the British army, finds himself torn between his obligation to the army and his

Hana finds herself looked down upon by the men in the villa, preventing her from succeeding in forming a positive relationship with Kip. The use of gender pronouns in the novel is significant because despite Hana being a main character and the first one introduced in the novel remains unnamed for a considerable amount of time. While this does not definitively prove Hana’s feelings, Ondaatje’s decision not to include her name until later in the novel is an indicator to the reader that she is viewed as less important by the other characters because they choose to address her as an object rather than as a person. A Canadian named Caravaggio, specifically, chooses to rarely address her by her name - scorning her despite the fact that he is a thief. When Caravaggio says, “the girl will bury him” (69), he speaks for Hana, despite the fact that she is in the room - volunteering her to do manual labour, thinking her time is less valuable than the males’. Caravaggio 's consistent disrespect towards Hana makes her feel less valuable than the other group members and as if she does not belong - preventing her from forming connections with the English patient and