Isolation

Isolation is a prevalent theme in The Station Agent. In fact, it is a force that surrounds and besets the story's main characters, including Fin, Joe, Olivia, Emily and Cleo. Unlike the others, Olivia and Fin must travel a lonely road before they realize the comfort that companionship can bring. The isolation they impose upon themselves functions as a protective shield. In the end, both realize that the one thing they are most struggling to ward off is the one thing they most need and that is the love of others.

Joe's violent dislike of isolation impels him to thrust himself upon others. Cleo's isolated status as one of few, if any, young African American girls in Newfoundland compels her to seek out friendships with adults. The difference between the way isolation affects these two characters and the way it affects Olivia and Fin is a major catalyst...