Guests On Earth Character Analysis

Mental illness has long been regarded with a negative stigmatism by those on the outside and resistance for understanding (Thoits, 6). In Lee Smith’s novel, “Guests on Earth,” she attempts to shed light on the ignorance that shadows mental illness by telling a story about the lives of characters dealing with various issues. Within that obvious strategy, however, Smith seems to offer evidence to one of the most overlooked concerns in mental health. The ideas of social norms and mental illness have, in large part, been constructed in the male experience causing there to be a major lack in understanding from the female perspective. This has led to accusations of madness in women for centuries and alarmingly higher rates of diagnosed mental disorders to this day. Using fiction and history Smith’s novel depicts the effects of this unjust system built on bigotry. A key to understanding the issue of sexism within the institution of mental health and how it relates to the novel is to know the condensed history behind it all. Throughout time ideas of causes and
Her character showed a women who arrived at Highland as vibrant and alive yet overtime, with frequent and elongated stays, became depressed and withdrawn due to the loneliness she felt, the disappointment she had with how her life turned out, and the oppression she experienced in her marriage. At no point can a reader see a woman who showed any signs of schizophrenia which seems to be Smith’s way of acknowledging accounts that professionals misdiagnosed and mistreated Zelda due to her “competing publicly with her more renowned husband in an appropriate manner” (Stolarek, 55). It was her husband’s affluence and influence that locked Zelda in that top ward with no escape awaiting the umpteenth unnecessary shock treatment rather than a true mental