Member of the Wedding 23

"She decided to donate blood to the Red Cross; she wanted to donate a quart a week and her blood would be in the veins of Australians and Fighting French and Chinese, all over the whole world, and it would be as though she were close kin to all of those people. "(23).

From the first paragraph of the novel, it's clear that one of the conflicts the protagonist Frankie needs to deal with is trying to find a sense of belonging and self. Not only does Frankie say she belonged to no club, but she also had "become an unjoined person" (5) implying that she hadn't always been so alienated. However, this passage shows how deeply her need for inclusion runs. It isn't enough for her to say her blood saved lives; she wants to have a connection with those who has her blood, hoping they could become "close kin". Despite having Berenice and John Henry around, Frankie still feels alone. She seems to actually reject their presence at times, which makes me wonder if she is actually alone, or if she is neglecting the people who are there. Either way, Frankie isn't comfortable with herself and doesn't seem to have a means of identifying herself if she isn't associated with a group.

Is Frankie's alienation simple adolescent angst, or is there something more to it? Is she really as alone as she perceives herself to be, or has she merely overlooked the people who are there with her?