Well, the people are on an island in "Storm on the Island"—that's about as isolating as it gets. Come storm time, they're out of touch with anything beyond the island, and they are forced to endure these rough storms. In the poem, there is more than one mention of trying to find "company" and distraction from nature (trees and the ocean), but to no avail. They have to rough it out on their own. You get the sense that the lives these people lead are difficult, and it's made all the more difficult by the loneliness they have to endure. Not only are there no other people besides their own small community, but the landscape offers no soothing visual diversion—no pleasant trees or rolling hills. It seems from the description like it's a bare island atop a bunch of steep and craggy cliffs, and beneath them is the frothing sea. Nowhere to go, nothing new to see—worst vacation spot ever.
Questions About Isolation
- If there are other people living on the island, how can they still feel isolated?
- How could the trees or the sea ever provide company for the inhabitants of the island?
- How might the geography of an island contribute to their feelings of isolation?
- Do you think the storm makes the people notice their isolation more, because they feel more vulnerable? Why or why not?
Chew on This
The isolation of these islanders underscores every human being's isolation in the natural world—bad times, gang.
Most of the time these islanders don't feel isolated, but when the storm comes and drives them into their homes, that's when they feel stir crazy and out of touch from everything else.