Have you ever looked at a picture and thought you saw something move? Have you ever eaten a whole container of ice cream just because you were sad about something? Have you ever felt like you were observing this world through a window? Many people could answer “yes” to these questions, but does that mean they are crazy. In the novel, Girl, Interrupted the author Susanna Kaysen, examines what her life was like being labeled crazy and put in a mental hospital for two years in the 1960’s. In this essay, the treatment of Susanna will be evaluated in comparison to the other patients. The ways that Susanna is biased in her writing will also be examined. Finally, the mental instability of Susanna and the other patients will be compared and contrasted.
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First off, Susanna was considered more on the side of normal, even though she had attempted suicide. Kaysen hints to this when she says, “We were considered the healthiest” (23). She is referring to her and her roommate, Georgina, not being as mentally ill as the other patients. Patients such as Polly, who was in the hospital for setting herself on fire. Polly had to endure ice-cold sheets as stated, “We watched Polly shiver after being wrapped in ice-cold sheets” (Kaysen 21). Susanna recalled that even this treatment didn’t help… “The cold packs hadn’t worked; she still screamed all night until they put her on something” (23). This meant they had to give her drugs to stop her screaming. All the other patients at McLean were also given drugs as part of their treatment. Then there is Cynthia, who was in the hospital for depression. Her treatment included weekly electroshock. “We watched Cynthia come back crying from electroshock once a week” (Kaysen 21). Even after this treatment, Cynthia would still say, “ I’m not sad… but I can’t help crying” (Kaysen 23). This illustrates the pain some of the patients endured during their extreme treatment. Finally you have Lisa, the sociopath and drug addict. Her treatment included many sessions in the seclusion room. “One of the worst things we watched, though, was Lisa coming out of seclusions two days later” (Kaysen …show more content…
First, all the patients are young adolescent girls who have been admitted to McLean Hospital for various mental illnesses. Many are there for drug abuse, being promiscuous, eating disorders, depression, self- mutilation and disregard for authority. How each of these girls responds to their own situation gives us a glimpse of their mental instability. First, there is Susanna, the narrator, who exhibits moments where she seems crazy, but at the same time her actions illustrate sanity. For example, when she tries to commit suicide Kaysen points out, “ Actually, it was only a part of myself I wanted to kill… “ (37). By saying this, Susanna demonstrates that she did not want to kill her entire self only the part that was causing her to question living or not. She even called her boyfriend, giving him the opportunity to help her. Kaysen goes on to say, “ For a moment, I felt compassion for myself… “ (37). It was as if she was on the edge of the parallel universe... sane enough to not actually kill herself, but crazy enough to try it. Another time, before she is admitted to the hospital, Susanna states that, “It was my misfortune-or salvation-to be at times perfectly conscious of my misperceptions of reality. I never “believed” anything I saw or thought I saw” (41). This definitely shows that Susanna was not what we would consider “crazy”; instead she was struggling to understand
First off, Susanna was considered more on the side of normal, even though she had attempted suicide. Kaysen hints to this when she says, “We were considered the healthiest” (23). She is referring to her and her roommate, Georgina, not being as mentally ill as the other patients. Patients such as Polly, who was in the hospital for setting herself on fire. Polly had to endure ice-cold sheets as stated, “We watched Polly shiver after being wrapped in ice-cold sheets” (Kaysen 21). Susanna recalled that even this treatment didn’t help… “The cold packs hadn’t worked; she still screamed all night until they put her on something” (23). This meant they had to give her drugs to stop her screaming. All the other patients at McLean were also given drugs as part of their treatment. Then there is Cynthia, who was in the hospital for depression. Her treatment included weekly electroshock. “We watched Cynthia come back crying from electroshock once a week” (Kaysen 21). Even after this treatment, Cynthia would still say, “ I’m not sad… but I can’t help crying” (Kaysen 23). This illustrates the pain some of the patients endured during their extreme treatment. Finally you have Lisa, the sociopath and drug addict. Her treatment included many sessions in the seclusion room. “One of the worst things we watched, though, was Lisa coming out of seclusions two days later” (Kaysen …show more content…
First, all the patients are young adolescent girls who have been admitted to McLean Hospital for various mental illnesses. Many are there for drug abuse, being promiscuous, eating disorders, depression, self- mutilation and disregard for authority. How each of these girls responds to their own situation gives us a glimpse of their mental instability. First, there is Susanna, the narrator, who exhibits moments where she seems crazy, but at the same time her actions illustrate sanity. For example, when she tries to commit suicide Kaysen points out, “ Actually, it was only a part of myself I wanted to kill… “ (37). By saying this, Susanna demonstrates that she did not want to kill her entire self only the part that was causing her to question living or not. She even called her boyfriend, giving him the opportunity to help her. Kaysen goes on to say, “ For a moment, I felt compassion for myself… “ (37). It was as if she was on the edge of the parallel universe... sane enough to not actually kill herself, but crazy enough to try it. Another time, before she is admitted to the hospital, Susanna states that, “It was my misfortune-or salvation-to be at times perfectly conscious of my misperceptions of reality. I never “believed” anything I saw or thought I saw” (41). This definitely shows that Susanna was not what we would consider “crazy”; instead she was struggling to understand