Ensomhed og sociale normer i 'Reunion' og 'Living with Strangers'

All cultures and societies have unwritten rules and etiquettes that an outsider simply will not understand. From when you are quite small you learn how to behave amongst other people and in society, this is called social norms and describes the acceptable behavior in a given situation. For example in a small society, it would be normal to everyone to greet all, while it would seem strange to say hello to a stranger in for example New York. We live more and more in small isolated communities, where we most of all think of our own needs and ourselves. A norm is often so integrated into the individual that it can cause serious norm conflicts if forced to, or even want to deviate from the norm, which has been followed up to now.

This happens to Siri in the essay “Living with strangers”, as she moves from Minnesota where she grew up and into the great city of New York. She was met by a world vastly different from what she knew from Minnesota, and quickly learned that the social norms were quite different as well. She says among other things that it was boundary exceeding for her to be so close with people in the metro, as she usually was only with her family and boyfriend in Minnesota. City life is very free, which is perceived as beneficial by most. It has the ability to define itself, and select what you want and who you want to be.