Silence and Solitude Summary

Caroline Kennedy, in her introduction to this section, observes that through all the years of preparing our children to survive in the world we become more dependent on them just as they become more independent of us. How we deal with solitude defines our character, and "in my experience, the people who are happy being alone are often the people everyone wants to be around." Kennedy says those who are involuntarily alone through death or abandonment face the toughest challenge "to confront the most fundamental questions of existence and reality."

Emily Bronté says she's pleased to be alone so she can become "a spirit wandering wide," in "I'm happiest when most away." Mark Strand says in "Keeping Things Whole" that solitude enables him to perceive how his mere existence and movement help to balance the world. Marianne Moore says...