Isolation

One of the primary facets of Marya’s life is her isolation and general loneliness; the story examines several different sources of isolation and explores how loneliness can be profoundly detrimental to a person’s quality of life. For example, early in the story, the narration notes that Marya’s parents died when she was young, and that she is mostly estranged from her only sibling: “Her father had died when she was ten years old, and her mother had died soon after.... She had a brother, an officer; at first they used to write to each other, then her brother had given up answering her letters” (8). Due to these unfortunate circumstances, Marya lacks a support group that many people have, namely the support and concern of family members. This first element of isolation profoundly contributes to her overall loneliness and lack of human connection.

Marya...