Isolation in Another Country :: Another Country

Isolation in Another land Another Country is possibly the tot solelyy novel of its time in which every address suffers from a trace of isolation. All the main characters share in the feeling of isolation. Whether the characters isolation is a result of race, economic situation, or even knowledgeable orientation, each characters life is affected. The feeling of isolation causes the characters to lose touch with reality. This isolation is evident in the story of Rufus. Rufus is a young black contend musician who grew up in Harlem, a young Black macrocosm fighting the system to attain his dreams. Later in the novel, Rufus reveals his inner turmoil. Rufus feels unaffectionate from union. He knows, yet is unable to accept, the racial barrier between himself and his only close helper, Vivaldo. Vivaldo is a true friend, but despite their friendship, Rufus has a unvarying feeling of resentment toward Vivaldo. Rufus is tormented by thoughts such as No one dared look at Vivaldo, o ut with any girl whatever, the government agency they looked at me now...This is because Vivaldo was white (Baldwin 31). The racial isolation is compounded when Rufus breaks each(prenominal) family ties in order to sustain his interracial relationship. Knowing his familys open condemnation of interracial relationships, Rufus decides to leave his family and live with his girlfriend, Leona. Despite his deep love for Leona, her nominal head constantly reminds him of the barrier between them. She becomes, in his mind, a symbol of the society that oppressed him. She becomes a symbol of the things he could never obtain in life. As his life becomes consumed, he plunges into the depths of desp disseminate, committing horrendous crimes against his loved ones. Rufus refuses the help of his friends. He turns to life on the streets and eventually jumps off a bridge. Before Rufuss death, Baldwin narrates His avouch loneliness, magnified so many million times, made the night air colder. He r emembered to what excess, into what traps and nightmares, his loneliness had driven him and he wondered where such a uncivilized emptiness might drive an entire city. (60) Vivaldo, a close friend of Rufus, deals with his own form of isolation. A product of dysfunctional Brooklyn family, Vivaldo felt he was never loved thus, he forces himself into loveless relationships. In these relationships he establishes a barrier between himself and his girlfriends. Vivaldo seems to be searching for love in all the wrong places--street corners and bars.