Some People Are Meant to Live Alone Frank Collymore

 Some People Are Meant to Live Alone Frank Collymore 

    Frank Collymore's story follows an odd man in isolation named Uncle Arthur. Uncle Arthur himself may not be that odd of a man but it's the isolation and mystery that follows him that makes people fear him. This goes along with the notion that people fear the unknown and things that they don't understand. Along with that living in social isolation is considered to be out of the norm. Naturally, there are introverts and extroverts in this world but extreme recluses are often regarded as strange or even crazy. Some people prefer being alone and are content in that but humans being the social beings that we are tend to have a hard time understanding this concept. Some people can handle loneliness better than others and indeed as the text implies I do believe some people are meant to be alone. But these people that seem so along to us on the outside may truly be less lonely than the masses. While it can seem like an external issue loneliness is internal in many ways, finding contentment is personal and is not for others to decide. 

    "It will only show you what some people will do... yes some people are meant to live alone"(page 5), this points to the idea that people handle loneliness in different ways. Some people crumble upon being alone, some people are forced to reconcile with loneliness because they have no other choice, and some people thrive in it. There is a certain element of freedom in loneliness that is pointed to by "but he was free, free to do as he liked.", almost expressing that being single and alone is liberating rather than devastating. I feel like it largely comes down to perspective and desires and aspirations, some highly motivated people thrive alone, they don't have time to be tied down and responsibilities. Uncle Arthur doesn't go to the extent of building a business empire or any great research I just think at some point he felt like the dating game isn't worth especially when he can be happy on his own.

Comments

  1. Sara PelletierSeptember 9, 2020 at 12:48 PM

    I thought it was interesting that the society around Uncle Arthur punished him so severely for being isolated. The narrator's shock in finding that he wasn't an odd man was surprising, but more because I also expected him to reveal some random eccentricities of some kind. I believe that the society made him even more isolated, encouraging that sphere of loneliness around Uncle Arthur. By seeing that he kept mostly to himself, the people of the town thought he was odd and wanted very little to do with him. This in turn made him more isolated, and encouraged more rumors. I think it shows that the truth is often hidden behind layers of other stories. Finding the truth can be somewhat difficult- it was for the narrator in this case as well.

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