Mrs. Lisbon's response to the dangers of the world is to isolate her daughters. At first she just seems like an overprotective mother, but over time she loses perspective, pulling her daughters out of school and keeping them literally on lockdown in the house. Her attempts to protect her kids backfire in the most horrible way. The real danger is inside—trapped in their oppressive family—rather than outside. Cut off from the world, some of the girls waste away physically as well as emotionally. You can see them come back to life when they finally get out of the house, but it doesn't last long.
After Cecilia's death, the girls keep more to themselves at school and the other kids back off; no one really knows what to say. This isolates the sisters even more. One thing the novel suggests is that classmates and neighbors really failed the family by keeping their own distance.
Questions About Isolation
- How does each daughter respond to the isolation?
- Why does Mrs. Lisbon stop leaving the house?
- Is the Lisbon household the only example of isolation in the novel?
Chew on This
The Lisbon girls' isolation contributed to their suicides, rather than saving them.
Even if the Lisbon girls had been allowed out of the house, their grief about Cecilia would have caused their suicides.