Isolation In The Virgin Suicides

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Introduction
The contemporary North American novels The Virgin Suicides, A Complicated Kindness and The Ice Storm similarly engage with the struggles of growing up in an isolated community within the frame of the teenage narrative. This struggle in terms of isolation is significantly influenced by religion. It must be noted that religion does not play a part in The Ice Storm. However, it is philosophy, Mother Nature and fate that influence the enclosure of the characters. As a result, nature places emphasis on the isolation that was already present before the storm. In The Virgin Suicides and A Complicated Kindness, they both deal with religion, but in different ways. In The Virgin Suicides, the Lisbon’s are highly influenced by the Catholic …show more content…

However, it is the parent’s actions and lack of communication that is the cause of the family collapse. In every family dynamic, especially when there are young children that are coming of age, it is the parents that are the holding bond of the family structure. In the text, it is evident that both Ben and Elena have marital issues. However, they are avoiding confronting them by distracting themselves from the issue. This is evident as Ben is trying to have an affair with family friend Janey, while his wife is Elena hiding behind books. This behaviour has a lasting impact on their children and creates a strong dislike towards their family dynamic, which is evident from the following quotation: “Fucking family. Feeble and forlorn and floundering and foolish and frustrating and functional and sad, sad. Fucking family. Fiend or foe” (Moody, 274). As a result, both Paul and Wendy do not have the parental guidance as their parents are too caught up in their own issues. Therefore, both children can do and behave however they please. Similarly to the way that the Lisbon girls from The Virgin Suicides use religious images as a cry for help, it could be argued that both Wendy and Paul are experimenting with alcohol, drugs and sexual acts to gain the attention of their parents. This aspect will be dealt with later on in the

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