Alone at Heart

The wonders of the heart are explained in Joyas Voladoras, by Brian Doyle. Doyle states, “We open windows to each but we live alone in the house of the heart.” He compares the heart to a house. Adding to the features of a home, he uses “open windows,” to indicate parts of the heart that open up to the people and world around us. This comparison between a muscle and a home creates vivid imagery for the reader.

This idea of solitude in the house of the heart reminded me of Rose of Sharon in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Her pregnancy weighs on her. She opens up her windows to those she encounters, yet she endures her state alone. Her mother tells her not to worry, and provides comfort to a certain extent. Her husband promised to take care of her and the child to come but walked out on her. Rose of Sharon opened up to the religious, fanatic, old lady, at the government camp, but was instilled with worry about sinful ways and how that may affect her child.

Despite Rose of Sharon’s efforts in trying to find comfort in open windows, she will endure her pregnancy and birth alone. The roof of her heart must bear the uneasiness of her pregnancy. It seems as though no matter how many windows she opens, the means of comfort are far beyond her reach. She lives alone in her heart.