The Fidèle is sardine-can-level crowded. It's hard to think of isolation as a key player in a text crammed so full of characters you pull a Dory and forget half of them just as you're getting acquainted with the next.
Nevertheless, all our guys in The Confidence-Man are one-offs who don't seem to have too much sense of a community. Maybe that's why in the midst of all the philosophical debates about who and how to trust, the question about chucking it all and living in the woods comes into play.
One question keeps coming up: does society push us toward isolation (because it is evil), or do we need to be cured of our isolating tendencies (because those are evil) by mingling with society?
Questions About Isolation
- How does isolation relate to sin in this text? Is it right, wrong, or neutral to go off into the wild alone?
- Is isolation always a choice in this text? Is anyone isolated against his or her will or inclination?
- What are we told about the nature of isolation?
- In what way does isolation influence character development in this novel?
Chew on This
According to this novel, isolation is a myth. No one can really get away from society in this text.
Everyone on board the Fidèle is alone and friendless.