by Joan Inong

Created on: June 20, 2009

As the 19th century was coming to a close, the theme of alienation became important in the realm of novels and literature in general. Two major world wars helped turn alienation into a popular subject that still remains, to this day, a theme of importance in literature.

After the first world war, poets began to question humanity. In particular, poets like T.S. Eliot were addressing the "emptiness" of the men and women who lived in the early twentieth century. In response to this early examination of alienation within the human race, other writers began to develop a greater sense of the term during the midpoint of the twentieth century.

Alienation was a pertinent subject to race relations. James Baldwin and Richard Wright, in particular, were concerned with the alienation that African-Americans felt within their community and within themselves. Those who labored in factories (blue collar jobs) also felt the pressure of "The Man" and knew, to an extent, the feeling of alienation that African-Americans felt within American society.

However, it was more than just the world environment that fueled the feeling of alienation within many types of people. It was the increasingly fast-paced lifestyle which most people were enjoying. The advancement of technology meant less "togetherness" of people; families were being distanced as people in general were growing further and further apart. The technological revolution of the twentieth century increased the amount of alienation which people were feeling.

And, in response to that general feeling of alienation, writers and poets alike began to examine alienation and its roots. Was it the Wars? Was it technology? Was it destiny? There were no right or wrong answers, but one thing was for sure: people were growing further apart. In fact, they were literally growing apart. Families were beginning to move farther from one another; one brother may move to California while one stayed in the East Coast. One would move halfway around the world to Europe, while the rest of the family stayed behind in Asia.

Alienation is apparent in all different types of literature, whether the novel comes from Cuba or from Japan. However, we can be assured that alienation did not just pop up out of nowhere. It must have had its roots, and they were to be found in the beginnings of the history of mankind. It seemed that alienation was written in the cards for the human race.

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