Answer:
As the title suggests, the essay’s theme is the feeling of loneliness—“the great American malady”—that pervades American life. Although the feeling’s cause may appear to be rooted in being alone or in a state of xenophobia, McCullers clarifies the United States is not a xenophobic nation. Instead, the feeling of loneliness is rooted in Americans’ “quest for identity.”
McCullers strengthens her claim by citing two examples. In the first, she states that the transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau gave up the city life in favor of a simple life at a small cabin, immersing himself in nature.
His objective, as he put it, was to back the world into a corner. And in that way did he discover "What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate."
McCullers’s second example is a contrast to the first. Novelist Thomas Wolfe decided to search for his roots and his lost brother in the bustle and congestion of New York City, instead of the peace and quiet of nature.
. . . he continued his frenetic and lifelong search for the lost brother, the magic door. He too backed the world into a corner, and as he passed among the city's millions, returning their stares, he experienced "That silent meeting [that] is the summary of all the meetings of men's lives."
In both examples, two men who are seeking their identity isolated themselves mentally, whether in a crowded city or quiet cabin.
Explanation:
