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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Chapter 6: The Secret of Life
Explanation and Analysis—Locked Up:
Throughout the book, Kaysen uses language related to imprisonment to describe her experience at McLean. This motif emphasizes her feeling of imprisonment. In one example from Chapter 32, she describes her borderline personality disorder diagnosis as "charges," likening herself to a punished criminal:
So these were the charges against me. I didn’t read them until twenty-five years later. “A character disorder” is what they’d told me then.
In Chapter 21, Kaysen imagines a nurse as a "prison matron":
If Dr. Wick was a disguised boarding-school matron, Mrs. McWeeney was an undisguised prison matron.
Chapter 6 contains one of many instances of Kaysen describing herself as "locked up":
First of all, he wasn’t my boyfriend anymore. How could a person who was locked up have a boyfriend?
By using language associated with prisons and criminals to describe life at the ward, Kaysen demonstrates how little freedom she and her fellow patients have over their lives at McLean. Their lives and movements are so tightly controlled and regimented that the hospital indeed feels like a jail, compounded for Susanna by a trapped feeling she experiences within her own mind as a result of her illness. Additionally, Kaysen's use of carceral language to describe herself and the other girls conveys that they are viewed similarly to criminals by society; at best, they are seen as outcasts, and at worst, they are seen as threats to their community.
Related Themes:
Chapter 21: Keepers
Explanation and Analysis—Locked Up:
Throughout the book, Kaysen uses language related to imprisonment to describe her experience at McLean. This motif emphasizes her feeling of imprisonment. In one example from Chapter 32, she describes her borderline personality disorder diagnosis as "charges," likening herself to a punished criminal:
So these were the charges against me. I didn’t read them until twenty-five years later. “A character disorder” is what they’d told me then.
In Chapter 21, Kaysen imagines a nurse as a "prison matron":
If Dr. Wick was a disguised boarding-school matron, Mrs. McWeeney was an undisguised prison matron.
Chapter 6 contains one of many instances of Kaysen describing herself as "locked up":
First of all, he wasn’t my boyfriend anymore. How could a person who was locked up have a boyfriend?
By using language associated with prisons and criminals to describe life at the ward, Kaysen demonstrates how little freedom she and her fellow patients have over their lives at McLean. Their lives and movements are so tightly controlled and regimented that the hospital indeed feels like a jail, compounded for Susanna by a trapped feeling she experiences within her own mind as a result of her illness. Additionally, Kaysen's use of carceral language to describe herself and the other girls conveys that they are viewed similarly to criminals by society; at best, they are seen as outcasts, and at worst, they are seen as threats to their community.
Related Themes:
Chapter 32: My Diagnosis
Explanation and Analysis—Locked Up:
Throughout the book, Kaysen uses language related to imprisonment to describe her experience at McLean. This motif emphasizes her feeling of imprisonment. In one example from Chapter 32, she describes her borderline personality disorder diagnosis as "charges," likening herself to a punished criminal:
So these were the charges against me. I didn’t read them until twenty-five years later. “A character disorder” is what they’d told me then.
In Chapter 21, Kaysen imagines a nurse as a "prison matron":
If Dr. Wick was a disguised boarding-school matron, Mrs. McWeeney was an undisguised prison matron.
Chapter 6 contains one of many instances of Kaysen describing herself as "locked up":
First of all, he wasn’t my boyfriend anymore. How could a person who was locked up have a boyfriend?
By using language associated with prisons and criminals to describe life at the ward, Kaysen demonstrates how little freedom she and her fellow patients have over their lives at McLean. Their lives and movements are so tightly controlled and regimented that the hospital indeed feels like a jail, compounded for Susanna by a trapped feeling she experiences within her own mind as a result of her illness. Additionally, Kaysen's use of carceral language to describe herself and the other girls conveys that they are viewed similarly to criminals by society; at best, they are seen as outcasts, and at worst, they are seen as threats to their community.
Related Themes:
