The Coldness Of Loneliness In 'My Last Duchess'

The coldness of loneliness
Introverted or extraverted, regardless none can spend a life time alone. Every human has a need for some degree of social inclusion; spending extensive time in isolation leave human beings with a lack of fulfillment, making life miserable. So, a major source of unhappiness for humans is loneliness. Loneliness deprives us of love and companionship, which are basic human needs. Often times, humans associate loneliness with sadness and misery. This is shown in My Last Duchess, after the narrator and Bill break up. She says, “I could make myself cry even more by repeating the words: love, alone, sad, over.” The narrator’s misery is founded in her loneliness, specifically loneliness in the heart. Her relationship with Bill ended and there is no one left in her heart, no to love, hence her loneliness in the heart. This phenomenon of heartbreak is due to the realization of the
emptiness –the aloneness- one is in their heart; there is no one to love and to be loved by. Ultimately, making human life itself empty and meaningless, this is the reason why so many people are depressed and unhappy after heartbreak. Moreover, loneliness is primary source of unhappiness because it deprives humans of love.
In loneliness one is isolated, and in isolation love cannot be felt as love requires more than one person. According to the well know author Zora Hutson, love is a compelling necessity imposed to man by God. With that being said, love is a basic human need and must be met, humans need to be loved. This is clearly depicted in The Painted Door, when John leaves Ann, “It was the silence weighing upon her- the frozen silence of the bitter fields and the sun-chilled sky- lurking outside as if alive, relentlessly in wait, mile- deep between her now and John”. Immediately after John’s departure, there is a sense of loneliness; the silence is a representation of her isolation, it is described as weighing down on her, the loneliness is unbearable. Throughout the day, Ann continually thinks of John and Steven, she wants to feel loved and cannot pass a single day without the love of a man. She cannot be blamed for this, many people today seek love, and after all it is a human
necessity.
With this loneliness at hand, the narrator attempts to distract herself with remedial tasks so the isolation doesn’t overwhelm her. But sooner or later, we all give in. Ann is miserable in her aloneness; she cannot complete any of the tasks she set out to do. She is so desperate for attention and love she is willing to do immoral things, to the point of dishonoring her husband. In her desperation Ann satisfies her need for love by resorting to ignoble tactics. She seeks the love of another, Steven. She cheats on her husband, and when he finds out he is overwhelmed with grief. Yet again, another suffers from the aloneness of heartbreak; John, overwhelmed with grief leaves the house and freezes from the emptiness of his heart. In conclusion, loneliness is a major cause of unhappiness or humans. It deprives humans love, whether it is to be loved or to love. This can be seen through both short stories, loneliness puts distance between the narrators and their need to be loved. Without this the warmth of love, we are doomed to freeze in our aloneness.