The Painted Door Theme Essay

James Sinclair Ross was a Canadian banker as well as an author. He was most well-known for his short stories set on the Canadian prairies. In Ross short theme The multi-coloured Door, Ann and her husband rear end stomach on a farm in Saskatchewan in the 1800s. plot of ground a snowstorm is approaching, John leaves for his fathers farm to inspection and repair him look after the chores, leaving Ann by herself in the storm. The theme of The miscellaneous Door is isolation leads to unreason and misery. This back end be retrieven in the passage of Ann throughout the base, the isolated linguistic context of their farm, and the symbolism of the storm.Throughout The Painted Door Ann struggles with an inside(a) conflict as a result of her feelings of isolation. These emotions are not only present because of the isolated prospect in which the story takes place, but in like manner due to the loneliness caused by the distance between her and John in their marriage. John fo cuses on his work far too much for her proneness and their communication skills have become less than satisfactory. As she looks out at the land she start ups to feel lonely, and those emotions only increase as John leaves her solo to battle her conscience when he travels to his fathers farm.When Steven, Johns close friend, arrives to play cards and to keep her company, Ann begins to compare him to John to hold back the wear man. Ann thinks about Steven as she tends to the fire and makes observations much(prenominal) as, His hair was calamitous and trim, his young lips curved soft and full. While John, she made the comparison swiftly, was thick-set, heavy-jowled, and stooped. (page 204) Her comparisons of the cardinal men in a back and forth fashion efficaciously display how conflicted Ann is as she is caught in a battle between her encephalon and her heart.Her descriptions of Steven make him appear to be more attractive and a gentleman, while John is the man she married , but has had trouble communicating with. As Ann compares the 2 men, she uses Stevens positive attributes and Johns flaws to convince herself that Steven is a better man. Her reasoning leads to her preposterous choice to cheat on John with Steven, which flush toi permit be seen as a reason for Johns closing when he left the house during the storm with no intention of returning(a) after catching the two of them.Anns isolation led to her qualification an irrational decision that ruined her marriage and will cause her to be even more lonely and miserable without John, the man she loves. The setting of The Painted Door is described in such a way that it enhances the feelings of isolation and misery in the story. Certain imagery is used to create shiny pictures in the readers sense to inspire emotions of loneliness. The setting is ofttimes described as very snappy, or as barren and empty. The sunlight was risen above the frost mists now, so keen and hard a glitter on the snow that instead of hotness its rays seemed shedding cold (page 190).In this section of the story, Ross uses words that symbolize happiness, such as sun and warmth, but certain words can be connected to isolation, such as frost and cold. By relating both the Earth and the sky to such chilled words, the imagery leaves the reader feeling as though they are confine a retentive with Ann in her isolation. Another example of isolation in the setting is, She shivered, but did not turn. In the clear, bitter light the long exsanguinous miles of prairie landscape seemed a region alien to life. Even the distant farmsteads she could see serves only to intensify a sense of isolation (190).This portrays the area that they live in as very empty since their nearest neighbours are miles crosswise the snow, giving Ann no one to go to when she is alone. These feelings of isolation and misery are what are constantly weighing on Anns shoulders throughout the story and lead to her irrational thoughts and decisions later on, such as her choice to balance with Steven. The snowstorm that occurs during The Painted Door gradually builds over the course of the story and can be seen as a symbol for Anns upcountry conflict.The storm in the story is also Anns enemy in a person vs.nature conflict, separating her from her husband and isolating her from the rest of the world. The stormier it becomes, the more Ann becomes cut off from the outside world. The storm separates her from John for a long time and because of this, Ann considers things that she normally wouldnt, such as having an affair with her husbands best friend. These extreme conditions are the driving force behind Anns irrational thoughts. As the story progresses and she spends more time alone, Anns thoughts and worries begin to build up.The way the storm is described in the story, the reader can infer that the same turmoil is also present in Anns mind. By describing the storm as eventual fury, blustering and stormy, and insane and dominant these phrases can also be related to Anns ever changing thoughts about John. While the storm worsens, Ann becomes closer to committing her sin. As the storm reaches its peak, Ann gives in to her emotions and quietnesss with Steven. The storm wrenched at the walls as if to make them warp in. So rigid and desperate were all her muscles set, withstanding, that the room around her seemed to overwhelm and reel.So rigid and strained that for relief at last, despite herself, she raised her head and met his eyes again. (page 209) In the meantime, unknown to her, John is battling the storm to keep his arrangement to return to her. As Ann wakes up afterwards, the storm slowly dies down, leaving a path of regret, guilt, and misery behind it. The stormy, isolated conditions of the setting and in her mind are the driving force behind her irrational decision to sleep with Steven and the misery that followed her choice. Isolation can be the reasoning behind irrationality and misery , and in The Painted Door, there are no exceptions.Anns inner conflict making her choose between her husband and Steven, the loneliness of the setting that seemed to trap her, and the storm that symbolized the thoughts and emotions inside of her were all forms of isolation that led Ann to irrational actions. Had she stopped to think about where her thoughts were going, perhaps Ann would not have let her isolation affect her rationality. Then John would still be vital and she would not feel the guilt, misery, and loneliness that followed her decision.