Separation in The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane

          I am reading the book The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane by Polly Horvath. In my last blog post I wrote about connection between all the characters, but as I read more of the book, I am noticing that separation is becoming the big theme. Even though each of the characters are confined on one tiny island with only themselves and have many of the same experiences, they are resisting connecting to each other. Jocelyn and Meline don't talk, Uncle Marten ignores them both, and the new housekeeper, Mrs. Mendelbaum, does not care to connect with the family.

         First of all, even though both Jocelyn and Meline's parents have just died, they do not talk and they do not try to relate. I find this funny because I think they would heal better if they grieve together, because they are both going through the same thing. Even when Meline tries to talk to Jocelyn, Jocelyn just shrugs her off and says that she's spying on her. I wonder why this is. Since they're around the same age, I think it would benefit them both to talk to each other. 


         Also, Uncle Marten separates himself from the others on the island. When I first started this book, I thought that Uncle Marten would start to connect with other people now that he's around them everyday, but as I read more, I see that he is still separating himself from other humans. All he wants to do is study his books and try to find new science research.   He's not trying to connect with anybody; he only really cares about the way things used to be, when it was only him on the isolated island with all this free time for him to just explore.     


         Thirdly, I feel that Mrs. Mendelbaum, the new housekeeper, is separated from all the other characters. I think this is because she feels that a housekeeper should just cook and clean, and stay out of the boss's way. But she also doesn't care to sit down with the family or talk to Meline and Jocelyn. Even Uncle Marten doesn't want to chat with her. Everybody is separated on this island, and I don't think it's good.   


          On page 67, Meline says "We had no real relationships, any of us. We had no one on the island. We were each of us entirely alone". I think that she is saying that no one on the island is there for each other, that no one really cares about anybody else. It's ironic because even though they're the only ones they come in contact with all day, they really don't get along with each other. I wonder if this will change as the story progresses, and the time they've been on the island gets longer.