Loneliness and Isolation

A theme across each narrative is loneliness and isolation; the novel explores characters’ attempts to maintain or counter this state, the effects of which become apparent as their stories develop. Helen spent her adult life avoiding the fearsome force that is love. Shortly before her death, Helen wonders whether her future could have been different, had she been loved by someone who could have attended to her health. Helen's cane functions as a motif; the professor's reliance on her cane as her physical strength deteriorates parallels her lack of emotional support in life. The Masada sketch in Helen’s office is a reminder of her relationship with Dror and also functions as a motif. Throughout her life, the image validated her decision to leave Dror; she associates the sketch with the horrors of Dror’s intelligence work and the aggressive and terrifying passion he...