An in-Depth Analysis of the Themes of Loneliness and Alienation in the Story “the Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross

An in-depth analysis of the themes of loneliness and alienation in the story “The Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross

Date Submitted: Jan 4, 2010

Words: 1356

    Disguised as nothing more than bizarre diction, Sinclair Ross is able to bring the reader into the world of “The Painted Door”. Throughout the story is a multitude of hidden messages which are only made clear through further analysis. Many of these hidden messages emphasize loneliness and alienation and can be seen from Ross’s usage of imagery, the way the betrayal of John was portrayed, and the mood of the story.
“The Painted Door” relies heavily on imagery to emphasize its point of loneliness. From the beginning of the story the theme of loneliness is introduced almost immediately. “The sun was risen above the frost mists now, so keen and hard a glitter on the snow that instead of warmth its rays seemed shedding cold.” Ann also states it was time she got used to staying home alone. We see that the sun has risen, however, it is claimed that it feels as though the sun was shedding rays of cold. This sentence is paradoxical as the word sun has connotations of warmth and happiness, and the word cold has connotations of loneliness. Both of these two terms are effective at affecting our mood and leaves the reader lost and unsure how to feel. By saying that the sun is shedding these waves of cold or “loneliness” Ross is actually using the sun as a medium to show the progression of Ann’s loneliness. This progression is also seen throughout the story such as when states “Rather they seemed to cower before the implacability of snow-swept earth and clear pale sun-chilled sky” uses the same method of emphasis. This quote is especially interesting because the two juxtaposed terms “snow-swept earth” and “sun-chilled sky” are paradoxical within itself. Upon reading this quote one would feel as though he/she is trapped. By associating both the Earth and the sky with words like chilled and snow-swept, Ross has left...