The Painted Door Theme

241 Words1 Pages
The feelings of alienation and loneliness are severely bitter and harsh. Isolation can often lead to insanity. People try to achieve and maintain relationships every day. When isolated and lonely, the mind becomes distorted, resulting in abnormal behaviour. A key theme in literature is alienation. Isolation is visible in Ross’ two short stories “The Painted Door” and “One’s a Heifer”. “The Painted Door” portrays a married couple Ann and John, who are struggling emotionally. With a storm approaching, John goes to his father’s farm to help with chores; leaving Ann home alone. John invites Steven to come keep Ann company. Ann ends up having an affair with Steven and John comes home to them sleeping in bed together. After the devastating sight