Isolation

Much of the dramatic action is driven by repeated instances of isolation in Sidra’s life, and these instances feature loneliness as a major cause of distress. For example, the story begins with Sidra’s life in Hollywood just before she moves back to Chicago. Sidra has not only become alienated from her work, but she has become isolated from the various connections that used to ground her. One of the most prominent examples is her boyfriend, a married director, who eventually leaves Sidra and returns to his wife. When he breaks the news to Sidra, Sidra responds thusly: “‘Just when we were working out the bumps and the chops and the rocks,’ she said. Then she wept” (6). Soon after, she decides to move back to Chicago, which is her hometown, and which appears to be the previous place in which she felt grounded and connected...