Running With Scissors Analysis
Running with Scissors Review
I loved reading the book “Running with Scissors”, so when I was told we could watch the movie for extra credit I was very happy, since I had never seen it. Running with Scissors seems to deal with every aspect of addiction and mental health. As you will see it seems to deal with the more extreme and the further you go into his life the more grateful you seem for yours.
The book/movie is a memoir of Augusten Burroughs. It chronicles his life from age 9 to 17. At the beginning of the book/movie Augusten describes how close he is to his mother. He enjoys dressing in her cloths, listening to her speak and genuinely enthralled by her. His mother is a narcissistic poet who insists that someday she will be famous.
His father is a severe alcoholic. The relationship between the two is very dysfunctional and violent. Both parents are very disgusted with each other. It’s very obvious that there is no love between them. Do to there dysfunctions Augustens mother (Deirdre) begins to see Dr. Finch a psychiatrist who at first seems very convincing to help her but later proves to have other intentions. Deirdre and her husband try and get help for there marriage but it proves unsuccessful and they end up getting a divorce.
Deirdre visits with Dr. Finch become more frequent and lengthy and eventually moved from his office to his home. Eventually Augusten is told that he will need to stay with Dr. Finch and his family to protect him from his father, which caused a temporary stay to turn into a permanent one. Dr. Finch eventually becomes Augusten’s legal guardian with his mother coming to visit once in awhile and then occasionally being able to stay with his mother. This is when Augusten started to write in his Journals because he didn’t think people would believe him if he didn’t start writing it down.
During his stay at the Finch’s Augusten befriends one of Finch’s daughters (Natalie) the other daughter Hope proves to be a little to weird for Augusten. Natalie has an angry personality but seems to be the most grounded of the entire Finch’s. She is the one who continually encourages Augusten to become a writer.
Augusten becomes the lover of Neil Bookman. Neil is one of Dr. Finch’s patients who he eventually adopted. Neil is twenty years older then Augusten and becomes Augusten first sexual encounter. The more they get to know each other the more obsessed Neil becomes of Augusten. After a few years of dating Neil disappears and to this day has not been heard from.
Augusten learns that the Finch household revolves around Dr. Finch. At fist it seems normal but then you learn that he is an open adultery, approves of and encourages sexual behaviors between children and adults and abuses his influence as a doctor in a number of ways main one is by over prescribing prescription drugs.
Eventually Augusten breaks free from the Finch’s household and moves to New York. Not before sending his mother back into a mental hospital after having another mental breakdown, which is where she still is today.
I recommend this book/movie to anyone who thinks that they had it bad growing up in a home filled with neurotic, middle class family members. This book made me appreciate my family and see that there are families out there way more messed up then mine.
I loved reading the book “Running with Scissors”, so when I was told we could watch the movie for extra credit I was very happy, since I had never seen it. Running with Scissors seems to deal with every aspect of addiction and mental health. As you will see it seems to deal with the more extreme and the further you go into his life the more grateful you seem for yours.
The book/movie is a memoir of Augusten Burroughs. It chronicles his life from age 9 to 17. At the beginning of the book/movie Augusten describes how close he is to his mother. He enjoys dressing in her cloths, listening to her speak and genuinely enthralled by her. His mother is a narcissistic poet who insists that someday she will be famous.
His father is a severe alcoholic. The relationship between the two is very dysfunctional and violent. Both parents are very disgusted with each other. It’s very obvious that there is no love between them. Do to there dysfunctions Augustens mother (Deirdre) begins to see Dr. Finch a psychiatrist who at first seems very convincing to help her but later proves to have other intentions. Deirdre and her husband try and get help for there marriage but it proves unsuccessful and they end up getting a divorce.
Deirdre visits with Dr. Finch become more frequent and lengthy and eventually moved from his office to his home. Eventually Augusten is told that he will need to stay with Dr. Finch and his family to protect him from his father, which caused a temporary stay to turn into a permanent one. Dr. Finch eventually becomes Augusten’s legal guardian with his mother coming to visit once in awhile and then occasionally being able to stay with his mother. This is when Augusten started to write in his Journals because he didn’t think people would believe him if he didn’t start writing it down.
During his stay at the Finch’s Augusten befriends one of Finch’s daughters (Natalie) the other daughter Hope proves to be a little to weird for Augusten. Natalie has an angry personality but seems to be the most grounded of the entire Finch’s. She is the one who continually encourages Augusten to become a writer.
Augusten becomes the lover of Neil Bookman. Neil is one of Dr. Finch’s patients who he eventually adopted. Neil is twenty years older then Augusten and becomes Augusten first sexual encounter. The more they get to know each other the more obsessed Neil becomes of Augusten. After a few years of dating Neil disappears and to this day has not been heard from.
Augusten learns that the Finch household revolves around Dr. Finch. At fist it seems normal but then you learn that he is an open adultery, approves of and encourages sexual behaviors between children and adults and abuses his influence as a doctor in a number of ways main one is by over prescribing prescription drugs.
Eventually Augusten breaks free from the Finch’s household and moves to New York. Not before sending his mother back into a mental hospital after having another mental breakdown, which is where she still is today.
I recommend this book/movie to anyone who thinks that they had it bad growing up in a home filled with neurotic, middle class family members. This book made me appreciate my family and see that there are families out there way more messed up then mine.