Storm on the Island Isolation Quotes

You know you're desperate for a little company when you skip over wishing for a (human) friend and go right to trees. We're not sure if it's the storm or if this is just the norm for these people, but they seem pretty lonely at the moment.

In case you didn't get the memo six lines back, there are no trees for company. We're going to assume Heaney didn't just accidentally repeat this. The repetition serves to reinforce the feeling of isolation and vulnerability—like, "We really really want trees, so we keep thinking about them, but they're not here. Still."

Now the speaker is wishing the sea would be company. This is getting as sad as the new kid sitting at the lunch table all by herself. The enjambed break at line 13 is a seriously harsh zing, in fact. Line 13 on its own sounds almost peaceful and welcoming, but then when you get to line 14 there's a "sike!" moment.