One of the hardest things about hard-to-deal-with feelings is that fact that they make you feel so stinkin' alone. Misery may love company, but who wants to go to that party?
For a young child, the isolation of sadness, anger, frustration, and the like is no different—in fact, it may feel even stronger. Even though he's surrounded by people for the whole of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Alexander is disconnected from all of them on many levels: he doesn't get what they got; he's physically separated from the crowd; and the cat just up and runs away form him.
For all intents and purposes, Alexander is the cheese.
Questions About Isolation
- Is Alexander really isolated from his family? His friends? The lunch box dessert crowd?
- The last illustration still shows Alexander by himself. Do the author and illustrator want us to think that he still feels alone? Is his day still terrible?
- When does Alexander feel the most alone in the story? How can you tell?
Chew on This
Alexander might feel isolated all day, but we all have bad days like that.
Alexander really is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.