Chris Lynch Dementia In Hamlet

Failing to recall what was once present in the mind. Failing to retain what was just said during the conversation. Failing to remember what was recently topical in the world. This is one of the main effects of dementia: a disease where the brain can no longer maintain memories. Dementia plagues countless of individuals throughout the United States. An always lingering disease that steals what was once lingering in one’s head. Chris Lynch focused on dementia; however, he utilized the disorder to bring about classified information in his book Kill Switch. Like Chris Lynch, William Shakespeare illustrated Hamlet through the use of chronic paranoia and behavioral changes, symptoms that parallel with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – in his play Hamlet.

This brain disorder tends to “impair memory, thinking and behavior” (Lillrank 1). Da, the character in this novel, Kill Switch, has been diagnosed with dementia and struggles with its symptoms throughout the story. When at a horse race with his grandson, Daniel, “[a]bsense c[a]me all over [Da’s] face” (Lynch 17) while he looked at Daniel; turning he walked mindlessly away. Da is showing the signs of memory loss or dementia and in this case a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. Many times when Da begins to forget things Daniel has to “tap [his] wrist” (Lynch 32) so he will look down at his “copper MEMORY LOSS bracelet” (Lynch 32). The MedicAlert bracelet on Da’s wrist was used to inform people and himself of his chronic mental impairment. As the story progressed, Da began to get confused with his past and Daniel. When Daniel was looking for Da, he saw him in the woods and chased after him, after Daniel caught Da, Da said “[k]ill me… [i]t’s about time you caught me” (Lynch 75). Based on this evidence and the diagnosis in the book, dementia is the disease that affected Da. His dementia not only made him forget, but it made him remember his past. Dilapidated, his mind began to crumble and there was nothing that his family could