The Silent Patient Sparknotes

lex Michaelides’s “The Silent Patient” depicts a psychotherapist named Theo Faber who is obsessed with revealing the reason behind the silence of his patient, Alica Berenson. Alicia is mute after suddenly killing her husband. While he fights to improve his reputation and get Alica to talk, Theo struggles with processing his wife’s hidden affair which causes him to be pushed to his limit. The reader eventually discovers that his obsession with Alica is the cause of her husband's murder. The several disputes in “The Silent Patient” Michaelides are significant in illustrating the traits of numerous characters. This is determined after observing the conflicts that Alica and Theo face. Alicia's paranoid quality is shown with the first conflict she

She constantly sees him through her window, and becomes fearful. She expresses her fear with her husband, trying to get him to believe her as she tries “reasoning with him, but he [says] he [is not] talking to [her] and [goes] to sleep in the spare room” (Michaelides 215). Her husband sees her as crazy, and presses her to see a doctor. This causes her to feel frustrated and helpless, as she begins to doubt if she did see Theo. She struggles with knowing how to protect both her and her husband without telling him because of his harsh and immediate judgment. Furthermore, The conflict causes Alica’s paranoid trait to develop. Following the few days that Theo stalks the Berensons, Alica becomes increasingly restless. She does not go outside, but instead sits in front of the window for hours on end. This is paranoid because she has the constant idea that Theo is out to get her. She becomes mistrustful of others, and shapes her reality to be black and white for some relief. Evidently, Alica is not the only one to experience an internal conflict. The person vs self conflict Theo faces produces his insecure characteristic. This leaves him feeling lost, and unsure on what to

As Theo continues to struggle with what to do, he covertly follows his wife to what seems like a meeting spot, Anxiously watching from afar. He suddenly sees a man cross the street towards her and “In the few seconds he [takes] to cross the street, [Theo] [is] already [assessing] him. He [is] well built. He [has] shoulder-length fair hair, which [surprises] [him], as [his wife] always [says] she only [goes] for men with dark hair and eyes like [Theo’s]… But the man [walks] right by her” (Michaelides, 179). The way Theo quickly starts to compare the random man with himself, shows how Theo’s insecure trait was developed because of his wife cheating on him. He feels dependent on her because of his negative thoughts of himself, which is why he chooses to not call her out on her unloyal behavior. Both Theo’s and Alica’s traits derive from internal conflicts. After examining both conflicts, Theo’s insecure trait is the cause of his wife abandoning him, while feeling dependent on the relationship. Alica’s paranoid trait is established from Theo stalking her, causing her to mistrust people and refusal to leave the