The End Of Solitude Analysis

The concept of solitude is something entirely different than what it used to be because of technology. We are troubled by the idea of being hyperconnected, but driven to explore this new frontier of technology and use it to our advantage. Writers like William Deresiewicz lament that we are experiencing “the end of solitude” by “[living] exclusively in relation to others” (Klinenberg, 110). Yet as Klinenberg asserts, “For successful professionals, living alone as a form of self-protection typically means establishing one’s home as a sanctuary in the city, one that facilitates the pursuit of solitude and self discovery” (111). As Durga Chew-Bose wrote in her essay, living alone enables a sort of reflection otherwise not possible. The recent

Women’s entry into the workforce has played a major role in spurring independence for women, both within their professional life and their personal one. As Klinenberg writes, “In 1950, about one in three of all adult women participated in the civilian labor market; by 1980, more than one half did” (45). This massive growth in women working means women were able to become more financially stable and it also meant that they experienced what autonomy was like. Because independence is such a new notion for women to contend with, it makes sense that “contemporary solo dwellers are primarily women” (Klinenberg, 5) who want to experience what it’s like to live alone. With the conversation of feminism become more and more mainstream (which admittedly has detrimental effects as well as positive ones), women are becoming more exposed to the notion that their life holds possibility worth exploring. Women living alone is a positive step forward because it serves as a rejection of the gender roles and expectations women have been subject to for too long. The growing numbers of women living alone is a rebellious rejection of the heteronormative nuclear family model which has entrapped women for