Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. One of the themes in Girl, Interrupted is the confusion of social nonconformity with insanity.
Please answer the following questions about the novel:
- What evidence from the text suggests that some of the characters are choosing to "act out" as opposed to displaying symptoms of a mental disorder? What are the patients' goals in doing so?
- What does the variety of characters and their problems say about the criteria for institutionalization?
- How do the patients define themselves and one another? How do their diagnoses fit into that characterization?
- In most settings, there appears to a heirarchy-- even in an institution. Who is at the top of that heirarchy and what determines one's status? What is Kaysen's status?
1. The patients always acted out, which was part of most of their own illness and why they’re there in the first place! Acting out was an act they all did when they wanted a nurse’s attention. Valerie on page 84 is used as a relief from all the words the doctors used, as regression, acting out, Hostility, Withdrawal, indulging in behavior. Valerie was a relief from all of that!, she used terms like “getting in my hair and driving me crazy” She said things like “Cut that out” or “ You’re a Bore”
ReplyDelete2. The variety of characters and their problems all hate the fact that they are there! They all disagree with being there; Most of them don’t realize they even have a problem. Anyone who would be held against their own will, freedom less will of course be agitated, upset, and hate everyone and everything around them, especially when you’re mixing in Doses of medication. So all in all, they hate being there, and they all think it’s a pointless place, where no one wants to be@
3. They all define each other as the crazy ones. They all see problems in everyone else, and not themselves, their own diagnoses tells you that they do have issues. And one of them in all of them is Denial. They all don’t see their problems, Even though they know the name of their illness, at least some of them do .
4.Lisa would definitely be at the top of the chain. No one dares to approach with a crocked face. No one would dare try an fight with her, mess with her, she is the bully beat down, she is the top dog, everyone fears her, she implants the fear in those who think they are fearless, and no one is brave enough to step up to her. Kaysen’s status I think would land somewhere right below her. Shes the most sane one out of all them, she seems to be the smarts of the group, the most reasonable , and the one with most common sense , can be somewhat pushy or confused sometimes, But def, the smartest!
1. While reading Girl, Interrupted we get to view all the different characteristics from the patients. Some of the cases which seemed to be more severe than the other girls. That speaking, certain patients seem to be more outspoken or try to do things that could be considered to be “acting out.” Such as how one of the girls was known for always trying to escape, and how some are just more blunt and tend to act out more in a extreme way. For example, one of the girls Polly had tried burning herself, and had a bad experience and seems to find nothing wrong with it, meanwhile Sussana as of now her case doesn’t seem to be that severe as the other girls. While some of the patients seem to just want some attention, or maybe are exaggerating their symptoms then what they really are, certain patients do seem to have a mental disorder.
ReplyDelete2. With all the different characters that are out into the institutionalization it seems as if, with all the different cases and different girls, as if they are just all rounded up in there, while some patients maybe don’t necessarily need to be in there. Maybe due to a different time period, and things being more different than and not as specific as they way they are today, as of now when people cases are more specified and not just all put into one category or place.
In the text there was alot of cursing and inappropriate behavior. They wanted to get the attention so they would act out. To me they were well to talk to each other and make jokes. This shows that all they had to do to get better was behave. I feel that since they were all there at the hospital and the same life they were comfortable with acting out. They were not really worried about their future.
ReplyDelete2)All of the characters in the in the hospital share the same problems. They all are there because they need to be watched. They also don't want to be there. The criteria for institution is that they have no conrol of normality. They also need to have madication every day and have therapy. They help them at these places only.
ReplyDelete3)The patients define each other and one another as crazy. They all find fault in others, and don't help themselves. They definately need therapy and need to prey to get out normal. There diagnoses fits because they feel as though the end is their future and they see it now. The diagnoses is true for all mental health patients that are sick.
ReplyDelete4)The people at the top learn in a good environment and study the minds of the intelligent. They need to be responsible and charismatic with others.Keeping stability as a balance and listening to others. They have to be a team player and have a winning attitude. Money also has alot of pull.
ReplyDelete1. ““This fucking place!” Lisa yelled. She went down the hall slamming the doors to the rooms. “Eat shit!”” (Kaysen 99) This was a form of way for Lisa to act out as if she was displaying symptoms of mental disorder. She had done this in order to create a diversion to occupy as many nurses towards her attention. This was done so Torrey may leave to the airport with only one nurse chaperoning her. In this case it’ll be easier for Torrey to escape out of the cab and runaway.
ReplyDelete2. Each and every single of these girls inside the hospital are in it for a reason. Some might not belong in such a place like this and some might. It is their actions that speak for them and for that reason being is why they have been judged and have been placed in this institutional environment. Where they are being watched constantly, don’t have all the liberty they may desire, and are being treated with medication. Insanity is what aparts them from being sane and out to the open world.
ReplyDelete3. Among each other they define themselves as crazy. Whether they want to believe or not that they are crazy, they don’t have much of an option when places into a hospital for their insanity actions. Similar people as themselves with familiar mental problems surround them. They want to believe there’s nothing wrong with them but at the end when they see progress sheet it is where it says it all about them.
ReplyDelete4. In my opinion I believe Lisa is at the top of the hierarchy. Being at the top of this list sets the status as almost free roaming around the hospital. In this case Lisa takes advantage of this as to where she always manages to escape whenever she pleases to and returns back as if there was nothing wrong in doing so. Kaysen’s status would fall right under her. Not so much of a free roam but I believe has more rights than the others. For she is the one with the most common sense and out of all the girls, seems to be the sanest.
ReplyDelete1. In the novel you see that the patients acted out because of their own illness. When they did acted out all they wanted was the nurse attention that’s all. For example on page 99 Lisa yelled ‘’this fucking place’’ in a way this was a way that Lisa displayed her mental disorder and how she was because in the place she was in. All the patients had their own illness and once acted out in their different ways that can could. I didn’t think the patients had any goals with the way they act cause of it they know that he weren’t going to get out of that place.
ReplyDelete2. The variety of characters and their problems say that they all hate it in there and don’t want to be there to. When most of them talk together they agree that they don’t have any problems and why they should be there. When at times when they wanted to go outside they couldn’t cause the people they were watching after them they thought they wasn’t going to do something, so cause of that that their freedom was taking away. At times they wasn’t doses on their medication and they didn’t know what was going on so they just hate that and the people that were their too. In all they didn’t want to be in there and they didn’t like the place at all and why they should have been there in the first place.
ReplyDelete3. Among each other they define each other as the crazy. If they didn’t think that they were they had to believe it or not that they are crazy because of the actions that put in the hospital. Whether they couldn’t see their problem within each other, others could have diagnoses what they had. At times they thought nothing was wrong with them but when it comes to their progress sheet they show something different then what they thought. So they all know that they had their own issues and problems but in the end they found out why they were called the crazy for a reason.
ReplyDelete4. In my eyes I believe Lisa is at the top of the hierarchy. Lisa places top because she has done so many things through the time that she was at the hospital that no one can. Also everyone doesn’t dare to approach her for everything or dare to fight with her. Kaysen’s status would land or fall right blow her and all. She is much of a free roam I stand to believe that she gets my rights then the other girls. Addition to that she seems to be the sanest of all of them but the most common sense out of the girls thought.
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