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)
“sanity”
“killing the
headache”
“they (bones)
come back”—
they do exist
“everybody is
like that”
“insanity”
50 Aspirins and a Attempts to
bottle of Vodka
suicide
No bones in
insane
hands; laws of
physics; control
of time
“That is
everybody”
Reading
medical profile
(BPD)
events
Psychoneurotic
depression…
Sane or Insane? (Daisy)
Diagnosis: Eating disorder
and other unspecified
Symptoms: Eating in private,
father’s chicken only, keeping
bones under bed, attempted
suicide (later after moved out)
Claims: Eating=Dumping
(privacy—sexual implication)
Possible causes: Incest (father)
 Suicide (button being
pressed)
Sane or Insane? (Lisa Rowe)
Diagnosis: Sociopath
Symptoms:
Indifference, disregard
for the consequences...
Susanna: “Her eyes are
empty now”
Sane or Insane? (Georgina Tuskin)
Diagnosis:
Pathological liar
(“my father is the head
of CIA”)
Susanna: “lies to people
who went to keep her
here…live Oz forever.”
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
Medicine: Necessary?
 abused in treatment
 cause abuse (addiction)
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) / Seclusion:
Punishment?
ETC: possible permanent amnesia.
damaging neurons
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