Poetry and nature
A well-read reader will like enjoy this imagery. Dorothy doesn't know William Wordsworth as the famous poet; she knows him as her brother. When she finally gets around to reading his poetry, she is astonished by the way he weaves such a beautiful experience of human life into his poetry about nature. She knows that her love for nature and the countryside is shared with him, and in fact, this appreciation defines their characters throughout the journal.
Community and loneliness
When Dorothy finally finds her footing, so to speak, she realizes that she and William are finally stable enough to become part of a broader community than their family. Through her experience of other people and families in town, she realizes that her loneliness is surprisingly incorrect. She is indeed not alone in her painful struggle; everyone in town has misery to share. But, she is alone in other ways, because no one knows the unique shape and weight of her particular grief. She is simultaneously experiencing loneliness and company, because they're not mutually exclusive.
Sickness and health
The book portrays Dorothy's experience of sickness and health. The imagery comes across with the weight of absolute warfare. She struggles to feel happy and healthy, and instead, she feels depressed and ill. She often catches whatever bug might be available, colds and flus, or sometimes different, more ambient illnesses find her, and she will be suddenly plagued by fatigue or insomnia. Her journal paints her relationship with health as a journey not yet accomplished.
Panic and grief
For Dorothy, life is often perplexing and terrifying. She doesn't enjoy spells of intense panic or grief, but they come anyway, often unpredictably. When her brother is there, he acts as an emotional anchor to keep her more grounded, but when he's gone, she is blown about by the winds of daily life, and she finds herself in deep experiences of anguish and confusion. She is in hellish experiences of daily life, which often separate her from her community, because her experience is often so different than theirs.
