Borderline Personality Disorder: Meursault vs. Susanna Kaysen
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- Category: English: Novels
- Date Submitted: 02/13/2010 07:55 AM
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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self- image, and behavior. “Girl, Interrupted”, a film directed by James Mangold, is based on the true story of borderline- inflicted Susanna Kaysen. Susanna has been admitted into a mental institution after an attempted suicide. Although she does not acknowledge her illness, she agrees to treatment at Claymoore to “get some rest”. The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, tells the story of a psychologically detached figure named Meursault. Mersault’s indifferent attitude towards all aspects of life makes him a societal outcast. Based on the unmistakable similarities between Susanna Kaysen and Meursault, one may conclude that Meursault is affected by borderline personality disorder. This can be seen through both characters’ social relationships, impulsive behavior, and unresponsiveness toward convention.
A main feature of borderline personality disorder is instability in interpersonal relationships. “He was just a nice guy, that’s all, and it made me feel bad”. These words are spoken by Susanna Kaysen to describe her reaction to her boyfriend’s draft into the war. Although he will not report for months, Susanna refers to Toby in the past tense and interprets his draft as an ultimate death sentence. In the same way, Meursault has little to no reaction over his mother’s death. He expresses this in the opening line of the novel when he says, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (3). Meursault’s inability to remember the date on which his mother died displays his lack of interest or concern. During the trial, when the magistrate asks Meursault whether he loved his mother, Meursault replies that he “loved her as much as anyone” (67). Similarly, Susanna does not have much of a relationship with her family. When she leaves for Claymoore, her parents arrange a cab to...
A main feature of borderline personality disorder is instability in interpersonal relationships. “He was just a nice guy, that’s all, and it made me feel bad”. These words are spoken by Susanna Kaysen to describe her reaction to her boyfriend’s draft into the war. Although he will not report for months, Susanna refers to Toby in the past tense and interprets his draft as an ultimate death sentence. In the same way, Meursault has little to no reaction over his mother’s death. He expresses this in the opening line of the novel when he says, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (3). Meursault’s inability to remember the date on which his mother died displays his lack of interest or concern. During the trial, when the magistrate asks Meursault whether he loved his mother, Meursault replies that he “loved her as much as anyone” (67). Similarly, Susanna does not have much of a relationship with her family. When she leaves for Claymoore, her parents arrange a cab to...