Girl Interrupted Analysis Essay - 1848 Words

Girl, Interrupted (1999) directed by James Mangold is largely based on a semi- autobiographical book by the same title. The movie chronicles eighteen year old Susanna Kaysen’s experiences surrounding her stay at a mental institution. It is 1967, a time of social change and unrest. Susanna makes a half-heart attempt at suicide, ingesting a bottle of aspirin and chasing the pills with a bottle of vodka. She is taken to the emergency room, her stomach is pumped and she survives. Afterwards she meets with a psychologist who explores her more recent feelings and experiences. The psychologist concludes, with her parents assent, that she would benefit from a stay at Claymore, a private mental institution. The next year and nine months forever†¦show more content†¦At the end of the movie the two girls make peace and Susanna leaves wanting an eventual full recovery for Lisa. This serves as the best example of â€Å"a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationsh ips characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation†.(2) A subpart of this particular criterion is â€Å"markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self†.(2) Susanna self image is not only unstable, but also largely negative. She alternates from moments of self acceptance and goal orientation to times of a general depression and a pervading sense of confusion. When asked by her high school guidance councilor what she wishes to do with her life, Susanna replies with a high degree of certainty that she wishes to be a writer and not a housewife like her mother, yet at the same time she has no interest in college and has no actual plan for achieving her goal. Susanna can be seen, as was popular and socially acceptable at the time, smoking cigarettes throughout the entire movie. She can also be seen experimenting with marijuana and drinking social. More significantly she can be seen engaging in casual sex with a number of different partners. Susanna has relations with a professor who was also the father of one of her high school classmates. She can be seen having casual sex with a boy that she meets and befriends at a party and then again when he comes to visit her at the institution. She developsShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Girl Interrupted2171 Words   |  9 PagesMovie Analysis: Girl, Interrupted. Brittany Clontz Nursing 114 Girl interrupted is a gripping tale of a girl’s maladaptation to the challenges of life. The movie focuses on a young girl named Suzanna Kaysen growing up in the 1960s and struggling with the world around her. Suzanna is admitted to Clarmoore institution after she consumes a whole bottle of aspirin and alcohol to deal with her pain. When admitted to Clarmoore she claims she was not trying to commit suicide, but that she just had a headacheRead MoreGirl Interrupted Analysis1122 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Larkins novel, The Pause follows Declan O’Malley, a depressed 17-year-old and his life after attempting suicide. On the other hand, James Mangold’s 1999 film, Girl, Interrupted tells the story of 17-year-old Susanna Kaysen and the way she deals with being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder after a failed suicide attempt, and being placed in an institution. Both texts are focus on around the effects that mental health has on teenagers. The two texts ex plore the three themes of supportRead MoreGirl Interrupted Film Analysis858 Words   |  4 PagesRunning head: AN ANALYSIS OF GIRL, INTERRUPTED. 1 An Analysis of Girl, Interrupted Irvelt Nicolas And Alyssa Reilly College of Staten Island Read MoreGirl Interrupted And Night Analysis1017 Words   |  5 Pagestheir memoirs to exhibit their true intentions. In Girl, Interrupted and Night, Susanna Kaysen and Elie Wiesel manipulate these devices to reveal how enduring agonizing moments in life, can assist with finding one’s individualism. Susanna Kaysen highlights the difficulty with being institutionalized for two years in her memoir, and Elie Wiesel narrates his journey of being imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. Within the memoirs, Girl, Interrupted and Night, authors Susanna Kaysen and Elie WieselRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Girl, Interrupted Essay1303 Words   |  6 PagesSuzanna Kaysen, the author of the memoir â€Å"Girl, interrupted† found herself questioning the notion of normalcy after being admitted to a psychiatric ward due to a suicide attempt in 1967, Kaysen insists she was misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder. After reading Kaysen’s narrative, I concluded that th e diagnose was indeed inadequate, although Kaysen exhibited symptoms of mental illness, she wasn’t suffering from borderline personality disorder, as she there was a lack of evidence to supportRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Girl Interrupted 1252 Words   |  6 PagesGirl, Interrupted is a captivating and striking film about the struggle of coming to terms with mental health and overcoming personal obstacles to allow treatment and support. While the main character Susanna Kaysen stays in the Claymoore psychiatric hospital, she is introduced to a whole new world, one where she is forced to confront the fact that she has a mental illness and needs professional help. The film begins with Susanna and the other girls from the hospital sitting in somber silenceRead MoreAnalysis Of `` The Yellow Wallpaper `` And The Memoir Girl, Interrupted By Susanna Kaysen1515 Words   |  7 PagesCharlotte Perkins Gilman, and the memoir Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen all tell the story of three women slowly descending into mental illness. Esther, the main character of The Bell Jar falls into a deep depression and attempts suicide despite appearances of being successful. The unnamed narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper becomes insane under the care of her physicist husband, John. And Susanna, the autobiographical main character of Girl, Interrupted, attempts suicide by overdosing on sleepingRead MoreOne Flew Over A Cuckoos Nest And Girl Interrupted Literary Analysis1862 Words   |  8 Pagespsychiatrist. He symbolizes freedom, life and the power of an individual against a repressive establishment. Throughout the novel, McMurphy’s mental state continue s to be questioned as his rebellious behaviour escalates with hospital authorities. In Girl, Interrupted, directed by James Mangold, a conclusion is made upon Susanna Kaysen’s mental stability after a 20-minute interview. This short time frame results in Susanna spending the next two years in the mental asylum. She finds herself stuck between choosingRead More Girl, Interrupted Essay1244 Words   |  5 Pages Girl, Interrupted Part I: Critical Analysis Author: Susanna Kaysen. Girl, Interrupted: New York Division of Random House. Inc 1993. 1.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What is the author’s topic? The author’s topic is about a teenager name Susanna Kaysen. At 18 she voluntarily turned herself into McLean Hospital. 2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Identify the author’s main idea(s). In other words, what is the main point the author is attempting to make aboutRead MoreGirl, Interrupted By Susana Kaysen1114 Words   |  5 PagesSummary: The novel, Girl, Interrupted is a memoir of author Susana Kaysen’s life and her journey through early adulthood as she suffered with Borderline Personality Disorder. The novel captures her time at McLean Hospital, a psychiatric hospital located in Belmont, Massachusetts. Kaysen divides the novel into separate anecdotes of events and fellow patients she encountered during the two years she was admitted at Mclean. Kaysen was only eighteen-years-old on April 27, 1967 when she was first admitted