Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are has come up more than once in this unit, and that may be because Dave Eggers had a hand in some recent retellings of that classic children's story. But on top of that, the adventures of Sendak's mischievous Max can actually teach us some stuff about The Circle, if we look closely enough.
In Where the Wild Things Are, young Max finds that after spending a night rumpusing wildly with his wild new friends, he feels lonely. He may be surrounded by playmates, but what he really wants is to be home, "where someone loved him best of all."
Fast forward to The Circle, and we find that Mae Holland experiences profound depths of loneliness and isolation even when she's connected to millions of people worldwide. All of the social media in the world can't satisfy Mae's cravings for genuine human connection, and yet Mae continues to sacrifice her real relationships so that she can be more "present" at the Circle and online.
Sound like a recipe for disaster? The Circle thinks so, too.
Questions About Isolation
- Throughout The Circle, when does Mae Holland feel most lonely and most isolated?
- What metaphors, symbols, and images does Dave Eggers use to depict Mae Holland's feelings of loneliness and isolation?
- How does Mercer Medeiros characterize the role that the Circle plays in exacerbating people's feelings of loneliness and isolation?
Chew on This
Throughout The Circle, Dave Eggers suggests that although modern social media and digital technologies seem to be bringing us closer than ever before to friends, family, loved ones, and even strangers, those media may actually be making it harder for us to experience genuine social connection.
Both Mae Holland and Eamon Bailey feel bummed about the fact that they'll never be able to meet every single person in the world. Even if it were possible, though, it wouldn't cure their feelings of isolation. Meeting millions of people isn't anywhere near as fulfilling as really getting to know just a few.