descriptive essay about loneliness

Paris, 1951. Photo by Elliot Erwitt/Magnum

Loved, yet lonely

You might have the unconditional love of family and friends and yet feel deep loneliness. can philosophy explain why.

by Kaitlyn Creasy   + BIO

Although one of the loneliest moments of my life happened more than 15 years ago, I still remember its uniquely painful sting. I had just arrived back home from a study abroad semester in Italy. During my stay in Florence, my Italian had advanced to the point where I was dreaming in the language. I had also developed intellectual interests in Italian futurism, Dada, and Russian absurdism – interests not entirely deriving from a crush on the professor who taught a course on those topics – as well as the love sonnets of Dante and Petrarch (conceivably also related to that crush). I left my semester abroad feeling as many students likely do: transformed not only intellectually but emotionally. My picture of the world was complicated, my very experience of that world richer, more nuanced.

After that semester, I returned home to a small working-class town in New Jersey. Home proper was my boyfriend’s parents’ home, which was in the process of foreclosure but not yet taken by the bank. Both parents had left to live elsewhere, and they graciously allowed me to stay there with my boyfriend, his sister and her boyfriend during college breaks. While on break from school, I spent most of my time with these de facto roommates and a handful of my dearest childhood friends.

When I returned from Italy, there was so much I wanted to share with them. I wanted to talk to my boyfriend about how aesthetically interesting but intellectually dull I found Italian futurism; I wanted to communicate to my closest friends how deeply those Italian love sonnets moved me, how Bob Dylan so wonderfully captured their power. (‘And every one of them words rang true/and glowed like burning coal/Pouring off of every page/like it was written in my soul …’) In addition to a strongly felt need to share specific parts of my intellectual and emotional lives that had become so central to my self-understanding, I also experienced a dramatically increased need to engage intellectually, as well as an acute need for my emotional life in all its depth and richness – for my whole being, this new being – to be appreciated. When I returned home, I felt not only unable to engage with others in ways that met my newly developed needs, but also unrecognised for who I had become since I left. And I felt deeply, painfully lonely.

This experience is not uncommon for study-abroad students. Even when one has a caring and supportive network of relationships, one will often experience ‘reverse culture shock’ – what the psychologist Kevin Gaw describes as a ‘process of readjusting, reacculturating, and reassimilating into one’s own home culture after living in a different culture for a significant period of time’ – and feelings of loneliness are characteristic for individuals in the throes of this process.

But there are many other familiar life experiences that provoke feelings of loneliness, even if the individuals undergoing those experiences have loving friends and family: the student who comes home to his family and friends after a transformative first year at college; the adolescent who returns home to her loving but repressed parents after a sexual awakening at summer camp; the first-generation woman of colour in graduate school who feels cared for but also perpetually ‘ in-between ’ worlds, misunderstood and not fully seen either by her department members or her family and friends back home; the travel nurse who returns home to her partner and friends after an especially meaningful (or perhaps especially psychologically taxing) work assignment; the man who goes through a difficult breakup with a long-term, live-in partner; the woman who is the first in her group of friends to become a parent; the list goes on.

Nor does it take a transformative life event to provoke feelings of loneliness. As time passes, it often happens that friends and family who used to understand us quite well eventually fail to understand us as they once did, failing to really see us as they used to before. This, too, will tend to lead to feelings of loneliness – though the loneliness may creep in more gradually, more surreptitiously. Loneliness, it seems, is an existential hazard, something to which human beings are always vulnerable – and not just when they are alone.

In his recent book Life Is Hard (2022), the philosopher Kieran Setiya characterises loneliness as the ‘pain of social disconnection’. There, he argues for the importance of attending to the nature of loneliness – both why it hurts and what ‘that pain tell[s] us about how to live’ – especially given the contemporary prevalence of loneliness. He rightly notes that loneliness is not just a matter of being isolated from others entirely, since one can be lonely even in a room full of people. Additionally, he notes that, since the negative psychological and physiological effects of loneliness ‘seem to depend on the subjective experience of being lonely’, effectively combatting loneliness requires us to identify the origin of this subjective experience.

S etiya’s proposal is that we are ‘social animals with social needs’ that crucially include needs to be loved and to have our basic worth recognised. When we fail to have these basic needs met, as we do when we are apart from our friends, we suffer loneliness. Without the presence of friends to assure us that we matter, we experience the painful ‘sensation of hollowness, of a hole in oneself that used to be filled and now is not’. This is loneliness in its most elemental form. (Setiya uses the term ‘friends’ broadly, to include close family and romantic partners, and I follow his usage here.)

Imagine a woman who lands a job requiring a long-distance move to an area where she knows no one. Even if there are plenty of new neighbours and colleagues to greet her upon her arrival, Setiya’s claim is that she will tend to experience feelings of loneliness, since she does not yet have close, loving relationships with these people. In other words, she will tend to experience feelings of loneliness because she does not yet have friends whose love of her reflects back to her the basic value as a person that she has, friends who let her see that she matters. Only when she makes genuine friendships will she feel her unconditional value is acknowledged; only then will her basic social needs to be loved and recognised be met. Once she feels she truly matters to someone, in Setiya’s view, her loneliness will abate.

Setiya is not alone in connecting feelings of loneliness to a lack of basic recognition. In The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951), for example, Hannah Arendt also defines loneliness as a feeling that results when one’s human dignity or unconditional worth as a person fails to be recognised and affirmed, a feeling that results when this, one of the ‘basic requirements of the human condition’, fails to be met.

These accounts get a good deal about loneliness right. But they miss something as well. On these views, loving friendships allow us to avoid loneliness because the loving friend provides a form of recognition we require as social beings. Without loving friendships, or when we are apart from our friends, we are unable to secure this recognition. So we become lonely. But notice that the feature affirmed by the friend here – my unconditional value – is radically depersonalised. The property the friend recognises and affirms in me is the same property she recognises and affirms in her other friendships. Otherwise put, the recognition that allegedly mitigates loneliness in Setiya’s view is the friend’s recognition of an impersonal, abstract feature of oneself, a quality one shares with every other human being: her unconditional worth as a human being. (The recognition given by the loving friend is that I ‘[matter] … just like everyone else.’)

Just as one can feel lonely in a room full of strangers, one can feel lonely in a room full of friends

Since my dignity or worth is disconnected from any particular feature of myself as an individual, however, my friend can recognise and affirm that worth without acknowledging or engaging my particular needs, specific values and so on. If Setiya is calling it right, then that friend can assuage my loneliness without engaging my individuality.

Or can they? Accounts that tie loneliness to a failure of basic recognition (and the alleviation of loneliness to love and acknowledgement of one’s dignity) may be right about the origin of certain forms of loneliness. But it seems to me that this is far from the whole picture, and that accounts like these fail to explain a wide variety of familiar circumstances in which loneliness arises.

When I came home from my study-abroad semester, I returned to a network of robust, loving friendships. I was surrounded daily by a steadfast group of people who persistently acknowledged and affirmed my unconditional value as a person, putting up with my obnoxious pretension (so it must have seemed) and accepting me even though I was alien in crucial ways to the friend they knew before. Yet I still suffered loneliness. In fact, while I had more close friendships than ever before – and was as close with friends and family members as I had ever been – I was lonelier than ever. And this is also true of the familiar scenarios from above: the first-year college student, the new parent, the travel nurse, and so on. All these scenarios are ripe for painful feelings of loneliness even though the individuals undergoing such experiences have a loving network of friends, family and colleagues who support them and recognise their unconditional value.

So, there must be more to loneliness than Setiya’s account (and others like it) let on. Of course, if an individual’s worth goes unrecognised, she will feel awfully lonely. But just as one can feel lonely in a room full of strangers, one can feel lonely in a room full of friends. What plagues accounts that tie loneliness to an absence of basic recognition is that they fail to do justice to loneliness as a feeling that pops up not only when one lacks sufficiently loving, affirmative relationships, but also when one perceives that the relationships she has (including and perhaps especially loving relationships) lack sufficient quality (for example, lacking depth or a desired feeling of connection). And an individual will perceive such relationships as lacking sufficient quality when her friends and family are not meeting the specific needs she has, or recognising and affirming her as the particular individual that she is.

We see this especially in the midst or aftermath of transitional and transformational life events, when greater-than-usual shifts occur. As the result of going through such experiences, we often develop new values, core needs and centrally motivating desires, losing other values, needs and desires in the process. In other words, after undergoing a particularly transformative experience, we become different people in key respects than we were before. If after such a personal transformation, our friends are unable to meet our newly developed core needs or recognise and affirm our new values and central desires – perhaps in large part because they cannot , because they do not (yet) recognise or understand who we have become – we will suffer loneliness.

This is what happened to me after Italy. By the time I got back, I had developed new core needs – as one example, the need for a certain level and kind of intellectual engagement – which were unmet when I returned home. What’s more, I did not think it particularly fair to expect my friends to meet these needs. After all, they did not possess the conceptual frameworks for discussing Russian absurdism or 13th-century Italian love sonnets; these just weren’t things they had spent time thinking about. And I didn’t blame them; expecting them to develop or care about developing such a conceptual framework seemed to me ridiculous. Even so, without a shared framework, I felt unable to meet my need for intellectual engagement and communicate to my friends the fullness of my inner life, which was overtaken by quite specific aesthetic values, values that shaped how I saw the world. As a result, I felt lonely.

I n addition to developing new needs, I understood myself as having changed in other fundamental respects. While I knew my friends loved me and affirmed my unconditional value, I did not feel upon my return home that they were able to see and affirm my individuality. I was radically changed; in fact, I felt in certain respects totally unrecognisable even to those who knew me best. After Italy, I inhabited a different, more nuanced perspective on the world; beauty, creativity and intellectual growth had become core values of mine; I had become a serious lover of poetry; I understood myself as a burgeoning philosopher. At the time, my closest friends were not able to see and affirm these parts of me, parts of me with which even relative strangers in my college courses were acquainted (though, of course, those acquaintances neither knew me nor were equipped to meet other of my needs which my friends had long met). When I returned home, I no longer felt truly seen by my friends .

One need not spend a semester abroad to experience this. For example, a nurse who initially chose her profession as a means to professional and financial stability might, after an especially meaningful experience with a patient, find herself newly and centrally motivated by a desire to make a difference in her patients’ lives. Along with the landscape of her desires, her core values may have changed: perhaps she develops a new core value of alleviating suffering whenever possible. And she may find certain features of her job – those that do not involve the alleviation of suffering, or involve the limited alleviation of suffering – not as fulfilling as they once were. In other words, she may have developed a new need for a certain form of meaningful difference-making – a need that, if not met, leaves her feeling flat and deeply dissatisfied.

Changes like these – changes to what truly moves you, to what makes you feel deeply fulfilled – are profound ones. To be changed in these respects is to be utterly changed. Even if you have loving friendships, if your friends are unable to recognise and affirm these new features of you, you may fail to feel seen, fail to feel valued as who you really are. At that point, loneliness will ensue. Interestingly – and especially troublesome for Setiya’s account – feelings of loneliness will tend to be especially salient and painful when the people unable to meet these needs are those who already love us and affirm our unconditional value.

Those with a strong need for their uniqueness to be recognised may be more disposed to loneliness

So, even with loving friends, if we perceive ourselves as unable to be seen and affirmed as the particular people we are, or if certain of our core needs go unmet, we will feel lonely. Setiya is surely right that loneliness will result in the absence of love and recognition. But it can also result from the inability – and sometimes, failure – of those with whom we have loving relationships to share or affirm our values, to endorse desires that we understand as central to our lives, and to satisfy our needs.

Another way to put it is that our social needs go far beyond the impersonal recognition of our unconditional worth as human beings. These needs can be as widespread as a need for reciprocal emotional attachment or as restricted as a need for a certain level of intellectual engagement or creative exchange. But even when the need in question is a restricted or uncommon one, if it is a deep need that requires another person to meet yet goes unmet, we will feel lonely. The fact that we suffer loneliness even when these quite specific needs are unmet shows that understanding and treating this feeling requires attending not just to whether my worth is affirmed, but to whether I am recognised and affirmed in my particularity and whether my particular, even idiosyncratic social needs are met by those around me.

What’s more, since different people have different needs, the conditions that produce loneliness will vary. Those with a strong need for their uniqueness to be recognised may be more disposed to loneliness. Others with weaker needs for recognition or reciprocal emotional attachment may experience a good deal of social isolation without feeling lonely at all. Some people might alleviate loneliness by cultivating a wide circle of not-especially-close friends, each of whom meets a different need or appreciates a different side of them. Yet others might persist in their loneliness without deep and intimate friendships in which they feel more fully seen and appreciated in their complexity, in the fullness of their being.

Yet, as ever-changing beings with friends and loved ones who are also ever-changing, we are always susceptible to loneliness and the pain of situations in which our needs are unmet. Most of us can recall a friend who once met certain of our core social needs, but who eventually – gradually, perhaps even imperceptibly – ultimately failed to do so. If such needs are not met by others in one’s life, this situation will lead one to feel profoundly, heartbreakingly lonely.

In cases like these, new relationships can offer true succour and light. For example, a lonely new parent might have childless friends who are clueless to the needs and values she develops through the hugely complicated transition to parenthood; as a result, she might cultivate relationships with other new parents or caretakers, people who share her newly developed values and better understand the joys, pains and ambivalences of having a child. To the extent that these new relationships enable her needs to be met and allow her to feel genuinely seen, they will help to alleviate her loneliness. Through seeking relationships with others who might share one’s interests or be better situated to meet one’s specific needs, then, one can attempt to face one’s loneliness head on.

But you don’t need to shed old relationships to cultivate the new. When old friends to whom we remain committed fail to meet our new needs, it’s helpful to ask how to salvage the situation, saving the relationship. In some instances, we might choose to adopt a passive strategy, acknowledging the ebb and flow of relationships and the natural lag time between the development of needs and others’ abilities to meet them. You could ‘wait it out’. But given that it is much more difficult to have your needs met if you don’t articulate them, an active strategy seems more promising. To position your friend to better meet your needs, you might attempt to communicate those needs and articulate ways in which you don’t feel seen.

Of course, such a strategy will be successful only if the unmet needs provoking one’s loneliness are needs one can identify and articulate. But we will so often – perhaps always – have needs, desires and values of which we are unaware or that we cannot articulate, even to ourselves. We are, to some extent, always opaque to ourselves. Given this opacity, some degree of loneliness may be an inevitable part of the human condition. What’s more, if we can’t even grasp or articulate the needs provoking our loneliness, then adopting a more passive strategy may be the only option one has. In cases like this, the only way to recognise your unmet needs or desires is to notice that your loneliness has started to lift once those needs and desires begin to be met by another.

Philosophy of science

Life makes mistakes

Hens try to hatch golf balls, whales get beached. Getting things wrong seems to play a fundamental role in life on Earth

David S Oderberg

Sex and sexuality

Sex and death

Our culture works hard to keep sex and death separate but recharging the libido might provide the release that grief needs

Cody Delistraty

Politics and government

The spectre of insecurity

Liberals have forgotten that in order for our lives not to be nasty, brutish and short, we need stability. Enter Hobbes

Jennifer M Morton

The script creator

Pau Cin Hau dreamt of an alphabet for a language that had never been written down. So began the religion of Laipianism

Bikash K Bhattacharya

Mental health

Constant confession

Mental health campaigns place huge trust in people’s ability to act as therapists. But when should professionals step in?

Aaron Neiman

The joy of clutter

The world sees Japan as a paragon of minimalism. But its hidden clutter culture shows that ‘more’ can be as magical as ‘less’

Essay About Being Alone: 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

To explore your understanding of this subject, read the following examples of an essay about being alone and prompts to use in your next essay.  

Being alone and lonely are often used interchangeably, but they don’t have the same meaning.

Everyone has a different notion of what being alone means. Some think it’s physically secluding yourself from people, while others regard it as the feeling of serenity or hopelessness even in the middle of a crowd.

Being alone offers various benefits, such as finding peace and solitude to reflect and be creative. However, too much isolation can negatively impact physical and mental health . 

By understanding the contrast between the meaning of being alone and being lonely, you’ll be able to express your thoughts clearly and deliver a great essay. 

1. Why I Love Being Alone by Role Reboot and Chanel Dubofsky

2. why do i like being alone so much [19 possible reasons] by sarah kristenson, 3. things to do by yourself by kendra cherry, 4. the art of being alone, but not lonely by kei hysi, 5.  my biggest fear was being alone by jennifer twardowski, 8 writing prompts on essay about being alone, 1. why you prefer to be alone, 2. things learned from being alone, 3. pros and cons of being alone, 4. being alone vs. being lonely, 5. the difference between being alone vs. being with someone else, 6. the fear of being alone, 7. how to enjoy your own company without being lonely.

“For me, being alone is something I choose, loneliness is the result of being alone, or feeling alone when I haven’t chosen it, but they aren’t the same, and they don’t necessarily lead to one another.”

In this essay, the authors make it clear that being alone is not the same as being lonely. They also mention that it’s a choice to be alone or be lonely with someone. Being alone is something that the authors are comfortable with and crave to find peace and clarity in their minds. For more, see these articles about being lonely .

“It’s important to know why you want to be alone. It can help you make the best of that time and appreciate this self-quality. Or, if you’re alone for negative reasons, it can help you address things in your life that may need to be changed.”

Kristenson’s essay probes the positive and negative reasons a person likes being alone. Positive reasons include creativity, decisiveness, and contentment as they remove themselves from drama.

The negative reasons for being alone are also critical to identify because they lead to unhealthy choices and results such as depression. The negative reasons listed are not being able to separate your emotions from others, thinking the people around you dislike you and being unable to show your authentic self to others because you’re afraid people might not like you.

“Whether you are an introvert who thrives on solitude or a gregarious extrovert who loves socializing, a little high-quality time to yourself can be good for your overall well-being.”

In this essay, Cherry points out the importance of being alone, whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. She also mentions the benefits of allocating time for yourself and advises on how to enjoy your own company. Letting yourself be alone for a while will help you improve your memory, creativity, and attention to detail, making them more productive.

“You learn to love yourself first. You need to explore life, explore yourselves, grow through challenges, learn from mistakes, get out of your comfort zone, know your true potential, and feel comfortable in your own skin. The moment you love yourself, you become immune to loneliness.”

Hysi explores being alone without feeling lonely. He argues that people must learn to love and put themselves first to stop feeling lonely. This can be challenging, especially for those who put themselves last to serve others. He concludes that loving ourselves leads to a better life. 

“We have to be comfortable in our own skin and be willing to be who we truly are, unapologetically. We have to love ourselves unconditionally and, through that love, be willing to seek out what our hearts truly desire — both in our relationships and in our life choices.”

The author discusses why she’s afraid of being alone and how she overcame it. Because she was scared of getting left alone, she always did things to please anyone, even if she wasn’t happy about it.  What was important to her then was that she was not alone. But she realized she would still feel lonely even if she wasn’t alone. 

Learning to be true to herself helped her overcome what she was afraid of. One key to happiness and fulfillment is loving yourself and always being genuine.

Did you finally have ideas about how to convey your thoughts about being alone after reading the samples above? If you’re now looking for ideas on what to talk about in your essay, here are 8 prompts to consider.

Read the best essay writing tips to incorporate them into your writing.

Today, many people assume that individuals who want to be alone are lonely. However, this is not the case for everyone. 

You can talk about a universal situation or feeling your readers will easily understand. Such as wanting to be alone when you’re mad or when you’re burnout from school or work. You can also talk about why you want to be alone after acing a test or graduating – to cherish the moment.

People tend to overthink when they are alone. In this essay, discuss what you learned from spending time alone. Perhaps you have discovered something about yourself, found a new hobby, or connected with your emotions.

Your essay can be an eye-opener for individuals contemplating if they want to take some time off to be alone. Explain how you felt when alone and if there were any benefits from spending this time by yourself.

While being alone has several benefits, such as personal exploration or reflection, time to reboot, etc., too much isolation can also have disadvantages. Conduct research into the pros and cons of alone time, and pick a side to create a compelling argumentative essay . Then, write these in your essay. Knowing the pros and cons of being alone will let others know when being alone is no longer beneficial and they’ll need someone to talk to.

We all have different views and thoughts about being alone and lonely. Write your notion and beliefs about them. You can also give examples using your real-life experiences. Reading different opinions and ideas about the same things broadens your and your readers’ perspectives.

Some people like being with their loved ones or friends rather than spending time alone. In this prompt, you will share what you felt or experienced when you were alone compared to when you were with someone else. For you, what do you prefer more? You can inform your readers about your choice and why you like it over the other.

While being alone can be beneficial and something some people crave, being alone for a long time can be scary for others. Write about the things you are most afraid of, such as, “What if I die alone, would there be people who will mourn for me?”  This will create an emotive and engaging essay for your next writing project.

Learning to be alone and genuinely enjoying it contributes to personal growth. However, being comfortable in your skin can still be challenging. This essay offers the reader tips to help others get started in finding happiness and tranquillity in their own company. Discuss activities that you can do while being alone. Perhaps create a list of hobbies and interests you can enjoy while being alone. 

Interested in learning more? Read our guide on descriptive essay s for more inspiration!

Search for creative inspiration

20,050 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,967 themes

loneliness - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• an open letter to youth
• fear of loss
• quotes of loneliness
• quotes of self love
• self isolating thought patterns
• stand alone mode
• therapy dogs

Loneliness was an echo chamber for my pain. Solitude began when the pain was over, when I loved myself and had healed.

As time went on, loneliness felt more as solitude, for one finds ways to cope. Yet to have real company of one who loves me, that would be sweet indeed.

They say once you have mastered being alone, you are ready for the company of others, that doesn't make it easy though. When everyone's life journey separated from my own, when the only heart beating in this house belonged to me, it wasn't something most could take. For there are days when the brain becomes a cold fire, perhaps that is what others call panic, but when you are alone, who are you going to call? I guess the good news is that in time, after many unpleasant days, you are okay. Then you find joy again, or maybe it finds you. After that, your journey can change, take on new and exciting adventures... I wish I could wave a magic wand for you who are alone, but there are somethings you must learn the hard way, my love.

This loneliness is a vice on my heart, squeezing with just enough pressure to be a constant pain. It kills me every day just a little bit more, taking what was once my inner light and replacing it with a darkness that overshadows each moment. It is the fuel of my nightmares, the reason I struggle to breathe when a new shock comes. Where is the limit? When comes the point at which dogs are called off and the help begins? Because I need to know; I really need to know.

When friends feel like paper chains in the rain and the sky holds nothing but the promise of more storms, life is lonely. When all I want is a hand to hold or an arm about my shoulders and none comes, the world becomes cold and empty, a slow poison for the soul. We are born to be loved and nurtured, and to do the same for others. We are born to be in tribes with social bonds that last a lifetime. It's times like this I wish I could melt in the rain like those paper people, fade away, anything to stop the ever-present pain.

Loneliness was Keller's only dependable friend, there morning, noon and night. Cigarettes ran out, whiskey ran dry, but always the empty yawning persisted. Nothing ever touched it, not his love affairs or the bar room boys, and never the social media that was his constant poison.

Loneliness sounds like such an easy thing to fix: find a friend, reach out to someone who cares. Every time I try they recoil, unwilling to offer an olive branch of hope to the social leper, and so my anxiety deepens. There are nights it takes a hold of me. All I can do in those long black hours is find an enclosed place to shake until the tears subside and I can focus on the dawn light, breathe, drink water. It isn't simply a lack of company, though that's part of it for sure, it's a black hole that grows more powerful with every social snub. It threatens to swallow every part of me, bad and good, until all that's left is a human shaped shell too numb to feel the pain anymore.

Her friends were as vapid as the winter snow was cold. Their love extended only as far as a social media post, stopping abruptly at the pixellated screen. Their smiles were little yellow faces that stopped coming whenever her world fell apart, which was often. From their posts their lives were one constant party, wine and meals in fancy establishments. Every post fed her loneliness, hacked at the tenuous emotional connections she nursed. She used to only feel the cruel bite of isolation in crowds, now it followed her home, an ever present reminder that she was a failure on every front.

Sign in or sign up for Descriptionar i

Sign up for descriptionar i, recover your descriptionar i password.

Keep track of your favorite writers on Descriptionari

We won't spam your account. Set your permissions during sign up or at any time afterward.

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

How to Describe Loneliness in a Story

By Isobel Coughlan

There are many ways you can write a lonely character in your book. In this post, we share some tips on how to describe loneliness in a story. Read on to learn more!

Something that is intense, serious , or difficult to deal with.

“His heavy loneliness followed him everywhere, even when he was in a room full of people.”

“She was determined to shed her heavy lonely feelings, but it was proving easier said than done.”

How it Adds Description

“Heavy” shows that the feelings of loneliness are so strong that they’re weighing the character down. This adjective is usually reserved for extra powerful feelings, and it can imply characters have been suffering for a while. If a character experiences “heavy” loneliness, they might struggle to connect with others or have a fear that keeps them from reaching out for help.

Something that’s clear or easy to notice.

“She blushed as she entered the classroom alone. Her lack of companionship and loneliness was evident to everyone.”

“Though his secret feelings of loneliness weren’t evident , he was scared his peers knew he felt different.”

If you want to show a character’s feelings are clear or obvious, “evident” is an apt adjective. This shows that everyone in the story can see the character is lonely, perhaps because of their mood or actions. Some characters might try to befriend them if their loneliness is “evident,” but others may use this to tease them.

3. Fictitious

Something that doesn’t exist or is false.

“Quit this fictitious loner act! You have so many friends and admirers.”

“He says he’s lonely, but we think his feelings are rather fictitious . Don’t you?”

Some characters might feign loneliness for sympathy or attention. In these cases, the feelings are “fictitious” because the character is lying. Characters that create “fictitious” emotions are likely to annoy others. They’re also usually manipulative and want to gain something from their fake loneliness act.

4. Agonizing

Something that causes extreme mental or physical pain.

“His agonizing loneliness left him bedridden for weeks. He could feel his isolation deep in his bones.”

“The prisoner was left alone for weeks, and his solitude was so agonizing that he wailed in the evenings.”

Though loneliness is an emotion, in severe cases, some people complain that it causes physical pain. “Agonizing” signifies that a character feels so alone that it hurts, and this could be a call for help or a sign of desperation. “Agonizing” loneliness may also debilitate the character, leaving them depressed or difficult to be around.

5. Constant

Something that’s always there or occurs all the time.

“His constant loneliness felt like a friend now. He couldn’t imagine life without eternal solitude.”

“Though she surrounded herself with friends and family, the loneliness in her heart was constant .”

If the feelings of loneliness never leave your character, “constant” is an excellent description of the situation. This shows that the character is always burdened by their feelings, and it could show they’re a more emotional or tortured soul.

6. Embarrassing

Something that leaves you ashamed or shy.

“When he thought about it, his lack of companions was embarrassing . A pink tint spread across his cheeks as he dwelled on his lonely life.”

“It’s rather embarrassing to be lonely in this day and age. Why doesn’t he make friends online?”

“Embarrassing” describes a character’s shame caused by their loneliness. This also implies they care how others perceive them, and therefore they might be a quiet or anxious character. Nasty characters or bullies might make lonely characters feel “embarrassed” by highlighting their solitary nature.

Something that’s hidden or only known by a few people.

“His secret loneliness was hidden in the day, but at night he allowed himself to feel the sadness.”

“Only her sister knew about her secret loneliness, and she didn’t dare tell anyone else.”

You can use the adjective “secret” to show how your character hides their feelings from others in the story. This could be because they’re embarrassed of feeling alone, or it could be because they want to look brave and fit in. Characters who keep their loneliness “secret” might struggle when opening up to others or when showing their true personality.

8. Intricate

Something that features many details or small parts.

“She realized her loneliness was intricate , and there was no way she could describe it to another soul.”

“Loneliness is such an intricate emotion. You wouldn’t understand it unless you’ve felt it.”

If you want to add depth or complexity to your character’s suffering, “intricate” can signify the many causes of their loneliness. “Intricate” also implies that there’s a greater level of suffering, as the causes are more complicated than a simple lonely feeling. If a character suffers from “intricate” loneliness, others may try to help them but won’t be able to grasp the layers of the problem.

9. Comforting

Something that makes you happier and less anxious.

“At this point, the lady’s loneliness was comforting to her. It was simply all she had.”

“His comforting solitude was all he needed. He’d never complained about being lonely; it was normal to him.”

Some characters might be at ease when alone, and their loneliness might feel ”comforting” to them. This can indicate that they’re an independent character and happiest when alone. Other characters might find this strange and see them as a loner or standoffish.

Something gentle, kind, and harmless .

“Despite his complaints, his feelings of loneliness were benign, and he’d forgotten about them by the morning.”

“I wish my isolation was benign ! But this loneliness eats away at me every day.”

The adjective “benign” shows that the character’s loneliness is harmless, meaning it won’t damage their mental or physical health. Characters with “benign” loneliness will likely get over their feelings quickly, especially with the help of others. Other characters might feel pity for them, but in some cases, they may think that the lonely character is being over dramatic.

Emotion: Loneliness

By The ProWritingAid Team

When you want to write the emotion loneliness, it's important to "show" the emotion your character is experiencing through their physical reactions and dialogue, rather than "tell" it. In this article we provide you with inspiration so you can avoid show; don't tell and immerse your readers in your story.

Loneliness is a complex emotional state that arises when a person perceives a discrepancy between their desired level of social contact and their actual level of social contact. It is often accompanied by feelings of isolation, emptiness, and sadness. Loneliness can be experienced even when surrounded by people and can be caused by a variety of factors such as social rejection, the loss of a loved one, or a major life transition.

Different Types of Loneliness

Situations associated with loneliness, physical reactions to loneliness, thoughts associated with loneliness, atmosphere of loneliness, verbs associated with loneliness, emotions before loneliness, emotions after loneliness, telling loneliness examples to avoid, practical examples of showing loneliness, exercises for showing loneliness.

Here are some different types of loneliness:

• Social loneliness: feeling disconnected from others and lacking a sense of belonging in social situations.
• Emotional loneliness: feeling disconnected from others on an emotional level, lacking close relationships and not being able to confide in others.
• Existential loneliness: feeling disconnected from the world and questioning one's purpose or existence.
• Situational loneliness: feeling lonely due to a specific circumstance, such as being alone in a new city or after a breakup.

Here are some situations where a character might experience the emotion of loneliness:

• Moving to a new place or starting a new school/job
• Losing a loved one or going through a breakup/divorce
• Feeling isolated or misunderstood by friends and family
• Being the only one with a certain interest or hobby
• Feeling like an outsider in a group or community
• Being physically separated from loved ones for a long period of time
• Struggling with mental health issues such as depression or anxiety
• Growing old and feeling disconnected from younger generations

Here are some physical reactions a character experiencing loneliness might have:

• Slumped posture or closed body language
• Lack of eye contact or avoiding social situations
• Slow movements or lethargy
• Decreased appetite or overeating
• Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
• Lack of interest in personal hygiene or grooming
• Constantly seeking reassurance or attention from others
• Inability to focus or concentrate
• Increased susceptibility to illness or physical ailments

Here are some thoughts a character experiencing loneliness might have:

• Why am I always alone?
• I wish someone was here with me right now.
• Does anyone really care about me?
• I feel like I don't belong anywhere.
• I'm tired of feeling isolated and disconnected.
• I envy those who have close relationships.
• Maybe it's my fault that I'm alone.
• I hate the feeling of being forgotten.
• Is there something wrong with me?

Here are some ways that you might reflect the emotion of loneliness in the atmosphere of your scene:

• Use a setting that is isolated or desolate, such as a deserted street or an abandoned house
• Create a sense of emptiness by describing a lack of activity or noise
• Use weather to reflect the character's emotions, such as a cold and rainy day or a dark and stormy night
• Use lighting to create a sense of isolation, such as a dimly lit room or a single light source
• Use metaphors or similes to describe the character's emotional state, such as feeling like a lone wolf or a castaway on a deserted island
• Use objects or props that emphasize the character's loneliness, such as a single chair in an empty room or a photograph of a loved one who is no longer there

Here are some verbs commonly associated with the emotion of loneliness:

Here are some emotions that may come before a character experiences loneliness:

• Disappointment
• Abandonment

Here are some emotions that may come after a character experiences loneliness:

• Frustration
• Desperation
• Vulnerability

It's important to note that everyone experiences emotions differently, so these are just some possible responses to loneliness. As a writer, you can use these emotions to create complex and realistic characters who are dealing with the aftermath of loneliness.

Here are some examples of telling the emotion loneliness in a sentence. You should avoid things like this:

• She felt lonely sitting in her empty apartment.
• John had never felt so alone in his life.
• Sarah's loneliness was palpable as she walked through the empty streets.
• The feeling of isolation weighed heavily on him.
• Mary couldn't shake the sense of loneliness that had been following her all day.
• He was consumed by loneliness after the death of his wife.
• The emptiness she felt was overwhelming.
• Loneliness had become a constant companion for him.
• The silence in the room only heightened her sense of loneliness.

Here are some examples of showing loneliness in a sentence:

• The sound of the clock ticking echoed through the empty room.
• She curled up in bed, hugging her pillow tightly.
• He scrolled through his phone, searching for a message that never came.
• The silence was deafening as he walked through the deserted streets.

Here are some writing exercises to practice showing loneliness:

• Put your character in a setting that emphasizes their isolation, such as a deserted island, an empty house, or a quiet park.
• Write a scene where your character tries to reach out to someone but is unable to connect, either because the other person is not receptive or because of external circumstances.
• Describe your character's physical sensations when they are lonely, such as feeling cold, hungry, or tired.
• Write a letter or a diary entry from your character's perspective, expressing their feelings of loneliness and longing.
• Create a backstory for your character that explains why they feel lonely, such as a childhood trauma, a failed relationship, or a recent loss.
• Show how your character copes with loneliness, either through unhealthy habits like substance abuse or through creative outlets like writing or painting.
• Introduce a secondary character who helps your protagonist overcome their loneliness, either by becoming a friend or a romantic partner.

Want more help with showing emotion instead of telling? You find more help in our full list of emotions .

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

The ProWritingAid Team

The most successful people in the world have coaches. Whatever your level of writing, ProWritingAid will help you achieve new heights. Exceptional writing depends on much more than just correct grammar. You need an editing tool that also highlights style issues and compares your writing to the best writers in your genre. ProWritingAid helps you find the best way to express your ideas.

Get started with ProWritingAid

Drop us a line or let's stay in touch via:

Loneliness Essay Example

Loneliness is a feeling that many people experience at one point or another. The impact of it on your life can vary greatly depending on the situation. This sample will explore the different types of loneliness, how to deal with them, and some tips for overcoming loneliness in general.

Essay Example On Loneliness

• Thesis Statement – Loneliness Essay
• Introduction – Loneliness Essay
• Main Body – Loneliness Essay
• Conclusion – Loneliness Essay

Thesis Statement – Loneliness Essay Loneliness is a consequence of being robbed of one’s freedom. It can be due to imprisonment, loss of liberty, or being discriminated against. Introduction – Loneliness Essay Loneliness is a social phenomenon that has been the subject of much research since time immemorial. Yet there still does not exist any solid explanation as to why some people are more prone to loneliness than others. This paper will seek to analyze this potentially debilitating condition from different perspectives. It will cover the relationship between loneliness and incarceration or loss of liberty; then it will proceed into discussing how emotions play a role in making us feel lonely; finally, it will look at how these feelings can affect our mental stability and overall well-being. Get Non-Plagiarized Custom Essay on Loneliness in USA Order Now Main Body – Loneliness Essay Loneliness is a universal feeling which has the ability to create its own culture within different societies. In detention facilities, there is a unique kind of loneliness that prevails between prisoners who are often divided into various categories and population groups. This has been described by Mandela as a consequence of being robbed of one’s freedom. The fact that it can be due to imprisonment, loss of liberty, or being discriminated against makes it even clearer why this isolation from other people occurs so frequently among detainees. In addition, when one spends time incarcerated in solitary confinement, they may become more experienced at coping with feelings of loneliness and despondency; however, these feelings do not tend to dissipate completely because living in an artificial environment cannot be compared with living out in the open. There is also a difference between feeling lonely and actually being alone; many individuals who do not feel social pressure, meaning that they are more than happy spending time on their own without any external stimulation, may still find themselves surrounded by people every day. Yet even this does not guarantee that one will escape feelings of isolation or rejection. Loneliness becomes an issue when it is chronic and experienced frequently, if only fleetingly. It can affect our psychological balance as well as our physical health because it usually initiates stress responses within the body which cause high blood pressure and prompt addiction to drugs or alcohol consumption. All these reasons may lead to decreased productivity and ultimately affect one’s ability to develop or maintain social connections. Buy Customized Essay on Loneliness At Cheapest Price Order Now Conclusion – Loneliness Essay Loneliness is a condition that we can’t always avoid, but it is something we should be aware of and try to limit. Thus, while the effects of loneliness on the individual may not be able to stimulate any significant changes in society, at least there will always remain one person more who understands what you are going through. Ultimately, it all comes down to empathy and sharing our own stories so that more people learn how to cope with this potentially dangerous emotional response. Hire USA Experts for Loneliness Essay Order Now

Need expert writers to help you with your essay writing? Get in touch!

This essay sample has given you some insights into the psychology of loneliness as well as suggestions for how to combat it in your own life.

Many of us find it hard to start writing an essay on general topics like loneliness. The free essay sample on loneliness is given here by the experts of Students Assignment Help to those who are assigned an essay on loneliness by professors. With the help of this sample, many ideas can easily be gathered by the college graduates to write their coursework essays.

Best essay helpers are giving to College students throughout the world through this sample. All types of essays like Argumentative Essays and persuasive essays can be written by following this example can be finished on time by the masters. If you still find it difficult to write a supreme quality essay on any topic then ask for the essay writing services from Students Assignment Help anytime.

Explore More Relevant Posts

• Nike Advertisement Analysis Essay Sample
• Mechanical Engineer Essay Example
• Reflective Essay on Teamwork
• Career Goals Essay Example
• Importance of Family Essay Example
• Causes of Teenage Depression Essay Sample
• Red Box Competitors Essay Sample
• Deontology Essay Example
• Biomedical Model of Health Essay Sample-Strengths and Weaknesses
• Effects Of Discrimination Essay Sample
• Meaning of Freedom Essay Example
• Women’s Rights Essay Sample
• Employment & Labor Law USA Essay Example
• Sonny’s Blues Essay Sample
• COVID 19 (Corona Virus) Essay Sample
• Why Do You Want To Be A Nurse Essay Example
• Family Planning Essay Sample
• Internet Boon or Bane Essay Example
• Does Access to Condoms Prevent Teen Pregnancy Essay Sample
• Child Abuse Essay Example
• Disadvantage of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) Essay Sample
• Essay Sample On Zika Virus
• Wonder Woman Essay Sample
• Teenage Suicide Essay Sample
• Primary Socialization Essay Sample In USA
• Role Of Physics In Daily Life Essay Sample
• Are Law Enforcement Cameras An Invasion of Privacy Essay Sample
• Why Guns Should Not Be Banned
• Neolithic Revolution Essay Sample
• Home Schooling Essay Sample
• Cosmetology Essay Sample
• Sale Promotion Techniques Sample Essay
• How Democratic Was Andrew Jackson Essay Sample
• Baby Boomers Essay Sample
• Veterans Day Essay Sample
• Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor Essay Sample
• Component Of Criminal Justice System In USA Essay Sample
• Self Introduction Essay Example
• Divorce Argumentative Essay Sample
• Bullying Essay Sample

Get Free Assignment Quote

Enter Discount Code If You Have, Else Leave Blank

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Of Mice and Men — The Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men

Analysis of Characters' Loneliness in of Mice and Men

• Categories: Loneliness Of Mice and Men

About this sample

Words: 1842 |

10 min read

Published: May 5, 2022

Words: 1842 | Pages: 4 | 10 min read

The essay delves into the poignant theme of loneliness depicted in John Steinbeck's novella "Of Mice and Men", notably through the characters of George Milton and Crooks. Loneliness, an emotionally desolate experience, is represented as a complex and potent emotion capable of inducing behavioral outbursts and altering characters' outlooks and behaviors. George, bound by obligation and genuine care for Lennie, experiences a unique solitude, being physically accompanied yet emotionally isolated due to Lennie’s mental condition. Crooks, isolated due to racial discrimination, shelters his vulnerability behind a wall of bitterness and emotional hardness, demonstrating how pervasive loneliness can twist personalities and moral compasses. The essay elucidates how such emotional solitude not only significantly influences the characters’ behaviors and mental states but also spotlights the harsh, discriminative societal backdrop, highlighting the varying, profound impacts loneliness imposes on individuals.

Table of contents

Introduction, loneliness in of mice and men, george milton, curley’s wife.

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1485 words

1.5 pages / 777 words

1 pages / 396 words

4 pages / 1803 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Of Mice and Men

Imagine being faced with an unbearable dilemma: having to choose between the life of your closest friend and your own survival. This is the predicament that George Milton, the protagonist of John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and [...]

John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, dives into the lives of migrant workers during the Great Depression. One of the most interesting characters is Curley's wife. Even though she's not in the story much, she goes through [...]

John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men explores various themes of loneliness, discrimination, and the longing for companionship. One character who embodies these themes is Crooks, the African American stable-hand. His name, [...]

Paradox and dream, two seemingly contradictory concepts, are interwoven throughout John Steinbeck's works. Steinbeck's exploration of these themes reflects the complex nature of human aspirations and the often conflicting [...]

One poignant example of the misperceptions that women face in a male-dominated society is presented in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The story takes place in the Dust Bowl era, when rough economic times made [...]

John Steinbeck incorporates disabilities within his stories with characters like Johnny Bear and Lennie Small from his works and “Johnny Bear” Of Mice and Men. Lennie from Of Mice and Men is a mentally handicapped giant of a man [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Loneliness - List of Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

Loneliness is a complex emotional state that individuals experience when they feel disconnected from others, which can be explored through many dimensions such as psychological, social, and existential lenses. Essays on loneliness might explore the causes and effects of loneliness, the societal factors contributing to loneliness, and the psychological implications of chronic loneliness. Moreover, discussions could delve into the exploration of loneliness in literature, the arts, and the contemporary epidemic of loneliness in the digital age. Analyzing interventions and social policies aimed at mitigating loneliness, and understanding its nuanced manifestations across different demographics can provide insight into one of the fundamental aspects of the human condition. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Loneliness you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Theme of Loneliness of Mice and Men

In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the very interesting and unique setting of Soledad, California. Soledad is Spanish for the word "loneliness" which is one of the major themes throughout the novel. He uses loneliness as a way to teach the readers how meaningful human interaction is and how much it can affect a person's life. Most cases of loneliness in today's society lead to death, resentment, and fear which is very similar to the cases in the novel. […]

Loneliness in Older People

Introduction For my report I am focusing on loneliness and the impacts that it has on older people specifically. According to Victor, C (2011) there has been research completed over the last decades and it has shown that 6-13 percent of the older population feel lonely frequently or continuously. This has given me the idea that it is a global issue today and the issue of loneliness is increasing for the ageing population. I believe that it has become a […]

“The Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross (Isolation)

Introduction This is a story brought out by author Sinclair Ross in his book "The Painted Doors" it is a story of loneliness and frustration. Ann has been in a marriage for seven years with John, a strong and a polite man who is a farmer. She is youthful and energetic. However, Ann is much isolated in her marriage and feels like the nature of her husband's lifestyle is derailing her. Due to this state that Ann has found herself […]

We will write an essay sample crafted to your needs.

Does Technology Promote Loneliness

Does Technology Promote Loneliness ?Lee et al. (1) observe that smartphones have grown to become an integral part of our daily lives. According to a survey conducted in 2012, the rate of adoption of these devices in the developed countries exceeded 50%. Although these devices promote efficiency, they tend to propagate loneliness. They have led to social disruptions as people develop an addiction to the handheld gadgets. Depending on the usage, they appear to substitute face to face interaction, hence, […]

Loneliness and Bitterness both

Loneliness and bitterness both occur as a result of isolation brought on by racism's presence in society, which often leads to the deterioration of societies as a whole. The idea of isolation is demonstrated in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, which is set in the 1930s, during a period of starvation and separation known as the Great Depression. The author depicts a story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who, for a short period of […]

Main Theme in John Steinbeck’s Novel of Mice

In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men George and Lennie work at a ranch in California. They work there for a couple of weeks until Lennie accidentally kills Curley's Wife. George then finds Lennie and kills him. Some of the characters on the ranch symbolizes loneliness. Steinbeck symbolizes loneliness through Candy, Crooks, George, and Curley's Wife. Candy represents loneliness through his missing hand and old dog. Candy's hand represents an old soulmate that is now gone. Candy's dog represents […]

Loneliness in Poetry

Being lonely and alone are completely different things and feelings. To be lonely could mean being with family, friends, in a crowd, and even with a loved one, and you still feel lonely. To be alone means that no one is around you for a long period of time. Loneliness and madness are one of the most damaging feelings humans are able to feel. In American Romantic and Transcendental Literature, madness and loneliness are the main themes that are prevalent […]

The Loneliness in the Film Fight Club

In today's society, loneliness is something experienced by a vast number of people. The age of technology and consumerism have brought social isolation to many. The film Fight Club explores the loneliness of a man who was trapped in the confines of superficial societal values. The protagonist develops a mental illness from the isolation he endured. Due to modern communication technology, human interaction is dwindling. More and more people are spending less time with others and more time alone seeking […]

Social Issue of Depression

The social issue of depression and suicide in older adulthood has an impact on lifespan development. The purpose of this essay is to define and show the extent to which this problem of depression and suicide in older adulthood is in America. It will also show the differences in cultural background, gender, and socioeconomic status that impact the chances of the elderly being diagnosed with depression. Next, it will use the biopsychosocial approach, to look at the issue of depression […]

What is Cost of Loneliness

In an age where everything has become digital, and home delivery services have become the norm, people have become more isolated from each other than ever before. For older, disabled, and lower-income populations, it has become increasingly difficult to bond with the community and feel connected. Social isolation has become an epidemic internationally, causing serious health concerns. This crisis has been linked to heart disease, anxiety, substance abuse, strokes, cancer, and more. Despite these health concerns, Medicaid and Medicare populations […]

Loneliness in Kokoro Novel

Natsume Soseki wrote Kokoro towards the end of his life in the 1910s around the time of the death of Emperor Meiji. The novel is centered on three isolated thoughtful individuals, Sensei and the narrator who have moved to Tokyo from rural areas and the narrators father a lonely man who is having difficulties adjusting to modernization who remains in the family home in the countryside. Soseki depicts in fact a melancholic new world in which people are having difficulty […]

Negative Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills: Destructive Impact

Technology, on the whole, has drastically reshaped the way we communicate by linking humans globally. Despite the positive changes that technology has had, there have also been many negatives. Personally, I have witnessed the negative effects of technology. For instance, during dinner time, a time for families to interact about their day, dinner time tends to be silent with the occasional laughter of an Instagram video. Not to mention the blue-lit faces from the very addictive screens. This essay will […]

Impact of Loneliness

"2010 study concluded that weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to the effect of smoking 15 cigarettes a day." Social isolation leads to depression and violent behavior. In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the creature suffered from social isolation which led him to act out of violence and murder many. Socializing is a necessity to have great mental health and to avoid depression, suicide, and violent behavior. Socializing is essential to improving mental health […]

Loneliness in “Catcher in the Rye”

But do we know what it's loneliness? Or do we know what it is to be alone? We will always have different perspectives, ideas, comments on this subject. Psychology defines solitude as a lack, whether voluntary or involuntary, when the person decides to be alone or when this person is alone by different circumstances of life. This contrast is reflected throughout the narrative in the dissimilar characters. Developing the theme of solitude effectively in each of its characters through different […]

An Impact of Loneliness

Being the second leading cause of death for teens and young adults aged between twelve and eighteen is suicide. Some would ask why a twelve year old may be contemplating suicide. Teens of all ages are becoming deprived of social interaction. Loneliness is taking a toll on the mind and body and it is important that parents stay attuned in their child lives before the effects of loneliness become detrimental. Teens are becoming so attached to their cellular devices that […]

What is a Feeling of Loneliness

Loneliness is a feeling when you are all alone and don't have anybody. Most of the time people feel lonely by others leaving them out. Being lonely is a feeling that no one really ever wants to feel. In the book "Of Mice and Men" almost all of the characters are lonely. They all are lonely even though they aren't alone, Curley's wife and Crook show loneliness the most. The two characters, Curley's wife and Crook, are affected by their […]

Understanding of an American Dream

Pursuing a STEM career is a wonderful and readily available way to be financially secure and well-rounded in this rapidly modernizing world. According to a study conducted by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, a shocking “9 million STEM jobs will be added to the U.S. economy between 2012 and 2022” (McKinnon). Jobs are not always easy to obtain, but the large availability of stem careers may put some at ease knowing they have a chance to survive in this […]

The Loneliness Project

Procedures After obtaining institutional review board approval for this study, participants will be recruited via social media and email listservs. Participants will access the survey through an online platform, Survey Monkey. The survey will be voluntary to complete, and participants may change their minds and not complete the survey without any punishment. Before beginning the study, participants will be presented with an informed consent letter giving them the details of the study and the purpose behind the study. There will […]

Loneliness is the Universal Language

The experience of being an outsider is something that no one wants. Moving to a new school and having to be the new kid, not having any friends, and no one to talk to is not ideal. I have been the outsider and left out by multiple people before. Not being part of a group having your buddies to hang with can eventually take a toll on you. Everyone in their lifetime will feel left out at least once. People […]

Integration of Preschools and Nursing Homes an Intervention for Loneliness

Loneliness is a growing epidemic among the elderly population, predominantly in Western Culture where elders are often placed in nursing homes, excluding them from their community. A silent killer, loneliness has shown to increase rates of depression, and the severity of preexisting psychiatric disorders, as well as decrease overall physical and emotional wellbeing. A few interventions, like the Silver Line in the United Kingdom and animal-assisted therapy in nursing homes, have been popular methods to try and combat loneliness, however, […]

Loneliness in Hell-Heaven

Being married often offers no protection of the dangers of being lonely. Naturally, over time, marriages begin to lose the love and affection that was once there, but continue to stay in the marriage without trying to salvage it. During one's moments of loneliness and isolation, marriages begin to lose their spark and result in infidelity. In Jhumpa Lahiri's short stories "Interpreter of Maladies" and "Hell-Heaven," each convey the impact of loneliness and isolation within a marriage, which can result […]

Effects of Divorce on College-aged Students

Introduction All around the nation thousands of children from divorced parents are suffering from the backlash of a family separation. These negative effects can range from academic or emotional instability. In the case of Blake's overwhelming issue, his parents recently divorced shortly after his move to college. His mother's dependency on him affects Blake's academics and social relationships. Due to having to go home every weekend, his girlfriend is upset and his grades are failing. In addition to this, he […]

Question of Loneliness

As the absence of something meaningful in life subsides, loneliness comes into full effect. It is an emotion that is taking over the mind of the generation today. While the loss of a significant other or a change in social atmosphere occurs, loneliness begins to develop. Many do not know how loneliness forms but it has been linked to multiple mental illnesses. In this paper, there will be an explaining on loneliness and how it's created within a person. Emotional […]

What is Romantic Loneliness

By analyzing the surface contrast between romance and loneliness, one can understand why these two seemingly different themes can so beautifully clash in Amoretti 89. Spenser finds a way to bring out the beauty in a topic, such as loneliness, that many writers would not have been able to do. Spenser compares but also contrasts such beautiful and different topics within Amoretti 89 by exploring the romantic side of loneliness and how even when all alone one's heart can be […]

Problem of Loneliness

Loneliness Today, about 73 percent of Americans feel or are lonely, based on the American Osteopathic Association survey. Imagine how many people were lonely during the great depression. In the novel Of Mice and Men, many characters face loneliness, however, two incredibly lonely characters are Crooks and Curley's wife. Curley's wife is lonely because she is the one and only lady on the farmstead, and she can't leave the ranch to talk to other people. Another way she is lonely […]

Emily Grierson’s Life in the a Rose for Emily

The disappearance of her significant other was the final event that made Emily a loner. She was in a relationship with a man that was the opposite of what everyone expected. However, she'd Living the aristocratic Grierson life and being alienated from society affected Miss Emily's attitude towards men. So, she isolates herself even more which causes her to become even more lonely as well as bizarre. Strangely enough, she did not want to readily admit that her father was […]

The Meaning Behind “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

"Under the Bridge," a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is a poignant reflection on loneliness, alienation, and the quest for connection. Released in 1992 as part of their breakthrough album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," this song resonates deeply with listeners due to its raw emotion and relatable themes. Anthony Kiedis, the band's lead singer, wrote the lyrics, drawing from his personal experiences, which infuse the song with authenticity and depth. At its core, "Under the Bridge" is a […]

Waving through Ephemeral Windows: Loneliness Unraveling the Dance of Human Connection

In the silent tapestry of existence, there exists a poignant choreography reminiscent of curtains swaying gently in response to an unseen breeze. This ethereal dance, metaphorically captured by the notion of "waving through a window," unveils the profound sense of solitude and yearning intrinsic to the human condition. This metaphor weaves its threads through the imagery of standing by a window, gazing out into the world, and waving—a symbolic act that encapsulates the human longing for connection and acknowledgment. It […]

Additional Example Essays

• Rhetorical Analysis of Steve Jobs’ Commencement Address
• Ted Bundy Research Paper
• Overcoming My Fear of Public Speaking
• Where Do I See Myself In 5 Years
• 20 Years From Now I See Myself
• Why Is It Better To Live In A Small Town
• Followership and Servant Leadership
• Logical Fallacies in Letter From Birmingham Jail
• Martin Luther King vs Malcolm X
• Oedipus is a Tragic Hero
• Dogs Are Better Than Cats Essay
• Medieval Romance "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers