In Sarah, Plain and Tall, Sarah Wheaton is happy to be with the Witting family, but she also misses her own home desperately. When she travels to the prairie to meet Jacob and his kids, she's coming to a place where she has no friends or family. Anna and Caleb can tell how lonely Sarah is, and they worry that this will cause her to leave them alone—which would create a void in their family (again). Their neighbor Maggie was also a mail order bride and commiserates with Sarah over how hard it is to leave home and start over somewhere new; she also offers friendship so that Sarah doesn't feel so alone in all of this, though. Phew.
Questions About Isolation
- Why does Sarah feel so lonely when she first comes to stay with the Wittings? How does she show it?
- Has time made Maggie forget about her old life in Tennessee? Why or why not?
- How does Anna feel in the absence of her mother? What does she miss?
- Why does Sarah choose to leave her family and home when she loves them so much? Does this contribute to her feelings of isolation? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Although Caleb never leaves Sarah's side after she arrives, she still feels lonely and isolated because she's so far away from her family and the ocean.
Anna knows that if Sarah leaves, their house will feel unbearably empty and lonely because she's experienced this before, back when her mother died.