Social 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. This feeling of loneliness may be provoked by a disconnection from society, sometimes because of a person’s race or their gender. In a society that is becoming increasingly liberal, 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, an Indian man fighting for the British army, finds himself torn between his obligation to the army and his nationality. This

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 explicitly state Hana’s feelings, Ondaatje’s decision not to include her name until later in the novel is an indication 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 rarely addresses 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

Kirpal is an Indian man fighting for the British army and because of his race, he is seen as irrelevant and is only categorized by his job as a sapper - leading to him not feeling included by people he later surrounded himself with. Being a woman, Hana finds herself in situations in which she is treated differently because of her gender. When working as a nurse in the army, the male soldiers become cold-hearted towards death, but when Hana does, she is seen as insensitive, leading to her feeling as if she does not belong. In the villa, Hana and Kip must depart back to their birth countries, Canada and India, because of the lack of the belonging they find in Italy, making them feel as if they do not belong together because they are different races. Throughout the novel, the reader is left to acknowledge the simple fact that others may treat you differently based on your race or gender. In North America, there is an increasing amount of conflict arising, being provoked through a person’s race or gender, and one is left to wonder whether society is progressing or worsening. Ondaatje’s novel displays that in order to combat this racism and sexism, you surround yourself by people who accept you, or are the same race or gender. This is an