Writer

The writer of the essay “How Not to Be Alone” is novelist Jonathan Safran Foer. The essay which was published in The New York Times is an adapted version of a speech Foer gave at Middlebury College in 2013.

Given that The New York Times is a worldwide influential American newspaper, this increases the credibility of the writer and the essay. Furthermore, the newspaper is known – and sometimes criticized—for having a liberal orientation.

When the essay was published in 2013, Jonathan Safran Foer was already a popular novelist. In the essay, Foer makes several references to himself and his experiences.

First of all, the writer begins the essay with a personal story which makes him appear honest and credible: “A couple of weeks ago, I saw a stranger crying in public. I was in Brooklyn’s Fort…” (ll. 2-3). The essay explores the negative conseque...