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Sanity Vs. Insanity In Girl, By Susanna Kaysen

692 Words3 Pages

Sanity vs insanity; a choice most will face during their lifetime. The definition of sanity is ‘The ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner; sound mental health’. But what is normal behaviour? Sanity vs insanity is society’s version of placing people in boxes with neatly wrapped bows; a way to ensure conformity or face punishment. In Girl, Interrupted examples of society’s expectations and how they can be the downfall of someone’s proposed ‘sanity’ are clearly seen.

Susanna Kaysen is the poster girl for the posed question. She struggles with the question of sanity vs insanity, pushing herself to be the former. Susanna talks to a retired family friend and psychiatrist, Dr Crumble, who seems to want the session to be over …show more content…

Cynthia isn’t mentally ill, she just has a different sexual preference to the majority of the population. We aren’t explicitly told why Cynthia is there, but from Lisa calling her a ‘dyke’ we an assume that is why. This makes her a social outcast, and in the 60’s being admitted to a mental hospital was frequently the answer for people like Cynthia. Then we have Polly, a burn victim with severe body image issues. While Polly’s issues are understandable, she isn’t crazy. She could easily function in society, but she knows that society will reject her outer appearance so she shields herself at Claymoore. Without the pressures of what society considers ‘beautiful’ Polly would be perfectly fine and able to lead a normal life. Even Lisa, master manipulator, could function easily in society. It is never found out why she was admitted, if there was a specific event that ensured her admittance, but she isn’t insane. Lisa is a sociopath, and sociopaths are inherently selfish people who manipulate others. There are plenty of people in this world who do the same thing, even worse, but where’s their excuse? Maybe it’s because these people are usually men and Lisa isn’t, maybe it was just because she did something terrible. As a whole, many of the patients at Claymoore seem to be driving themselves and each other insane, but they didn’t arrive that

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