Boundary Crossing of Sanity and Insanity Chin Chang, Christina Chen

Boundary Crossing of Sanity and Insanity

• Chin Chang, Christina Chen

• Zaes Chen, Linda Chien

Introduction

• Film: Girl, Interrupted directed by James Mangold (released in 1999)

• Based on Girl, Interrupted written by Susanna Kaysen

• (1967 McLean, 2 yrs)

• Title: from the painting Girl, Interrupted at her music by Johannes Vemeer

Summary

• Sent to Claymoore and diagnosed as BPD (borderline personality disorder), Susanna started her journey of self-discovery with friends she met there. The question remains “Is she sane or insane?”

Sane or Insane? (Susanna Kaysen)

• (monologue)

• “Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted.”

Sane or Insane? (Susanna)

Sane or Insane? (Daisy)

Sane or Insane? (Lisa Rowe)

Sane or Insane? (Georgina Tuskin)

Sane or Insane? (Polly Clark)

• Diagnosis: Unspecified

• Symptom: Refuse to grow up

• Possible Cause: Childhood trauma

• Innocent?

• Curious about sex trigger her memory

• Susanna: “sweetness and purity aren’t genuine at all, but a desperately attempt to make it easier for us to look at her”

Dependence

• Susanna: family  Lisa  Independence

• Lisa: institution; others’ dependence.

• Daisy: med; chicken; her father.

• Polly: doll; Ruby

• Georgina: Lisa

Social Backgrounds

• 50s -- relatively conservative

•  “viewed their children's world with alarm and confusion and embraced few of the cultural changes.”

• 60s – Peace, love and sex.

• -- Anti-war  hippy

• -- Rise of feminism

• 70s  Conservative

Social Influences

• Female having many opportunities?

• Pro.’s wife: “Women should make up their mind.”

• Teacher: “What do you plan to do?”

• “Women nowadays have more choices.”, S: “No they don’t.”

• Susanna is forced to make a choice.

• Bias on females:

• Definition of “promiscuity”

• Education

Treatments

Treatments

• Hospitalization:

• Necessity?  Susanna

• Admission  Voluntary? Right to leave?

• Discharge qualification?  Daisy

• (Pretending: “Purple people”)

• Standardized management:

• (medicine administration, name calling, room checks, indifferent attitude and R area.)

Treatments

• Counseling:

• (“The-rapist,” “their-rape-me,”

• “diag-non-sense,”

• criticizing Freudian therapy.)

• Dr. Melvin: unsuccessful, without understanding patients.

• Dr. Wick: understanding, insightful, professional

Alternative Treatment

• Interpersonal bonds:

• Nurse Valerie

• Sisterhood (Tunnel, Ice Cream Shop, Guitar)

•  Lisa (leader / violence)

• Others

• Ruby

• Music

• Exercise

• Narrative therapy

Turning Points (Susanna)

• Toby’s visit: Susanna decides to stay

• (Sisterhood / Toby is not the one)

• Runaway with Lisa / Returning:

• Start to realize: either fit into the society or self-destruction

• (“Jamie” / Daisy’s death / Lisa’s cruelty)

• Valerie: Susanna learns to “put it away”

• 2nd Tunnel: “Press others’ buttons”

Conclusion

• Definition of madness:

• Matter of degree. (blurring boundary)

• Social standard: majority = norm.

• Self realization (Wizard of Oz)

• (One drives oneself crazy.)

• Self limitation

• (biological, genetic, environment)

• “Fit in the fucked-up world”

Deleted Scenes in Film

• More of Susanna’s hallucination

• (blood flood in supermarket, boneless hands)

•  more normal in the film

• No museum scene  no explanation to the topic

• Less coincidences  Film is more realistic

Fiction & Film

• Going to Daisy’s house in film

• Introduction Line: Fiction  self

• Film  society

• Georgina is under-developed in the film

• Ending: Seeing Lisa on the street

Clips

• Lisa & Daisy: pressed the button

• Valerie “how it hurt smile”

• Dr. Wick “ambivalence,” Dr. Melvin’s counseling

Reference