The Theme Of Isolation In The Samurai's Garden

Gail Tsukiyama's The Samurai's Garden tells the story of Stephen Chan, a young Chinese man who is sent away from his family to live in Tarumi after being diagnosed with tuberculosis who finds it hard to fit in. He is cared for by the caretaker of the family house, Matsu, a solemn man who has lived alone in the house for many years. Stephen then meets Sachi, a woman diagnosed with leprosy and sent to Yamaguchi, a colony for those with leprosy. Stephen and Sachi initially feel isolated, but upon finding people who are there to support them, they find solitude in being alone, thus suggesting that no one is ever truly alone.
Stephen "can't help thinking [his] time in Tarumi will be a quiet resembling death" (4). Stephen shows he is dreading