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The Theory Of Mental Illness

Decent Essays

Alice’s character is developed in a way so accurate to the process of mental illness that I find it hard to believe this character isn’t real. As a person who suffers from mental illness, I can relate to Alice in an astounding way. The author never needs to state Alice’s position. The reader comes to realize it as surely as it seems Alice eventually did. She was doomed from the beginning. Her relationship with Ned Currie was on the verge of abuse. Ned was controlling and Alice became unreasonably dependent on him because of this. She had no true freedom in the relationship to begin with. It’s possible that was the case for reasons of gender inequality and extreme Functionalist idealisms, however the fact of the matter is that Alice was …show more content…

Well, quite obviously, that’s not the case. Alice had offered a valid option, but it seems that her suggestions are not viewed as viable to Ned. However, Alice accepts this from him like a well-trained slave. Contradictory to Alice’s loyalty, Ned never loved her. The author makes it clear that this relationship is one sided with sexually themed diction: “affair”, “desire”, “excited”, “emotions”, “love”, “lovers”, “wonder”, and “beauty”. This suggests that his opinion of her was based on his sexual desires and his attraction to her looks. The theory is confirmed when Alice later states that she is no longer attractive enough for Ned to love her. After Ned’s departure, the word ‘lonely’ was written a myriad of times. Thirteen times to be exact. She’s completely delusional, and it’s apparent before she ever falls into her madness. She exhibits signs of OCD with her restlessness and obsessive arranging and rearranging of products at work. She obsessively contemplates Ned’s return, obsessively saves money. Later, she obsessively participates in church-based activities. She’s in complete denial that Ned would betray her when she has been so loyal. She had made herself completely vulnerable to him, “The outer crust of her life, all of her natural diffidence and reserve, was torn away and she gave herself over to the emotions of love.” One of the main problems in

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