Toward a Topography of the Parallel UniverseJoin now to read essay Toward a Topography of the Parallel UniverseToward a Topography of the Parallel UniverseKaysen begins her account of mental illness and hospitalization with a question often posed to her: how did she end up there? Kaysen believes that people are curious about the circumstances of her hospital stay primarily to discover whether they might find themselves in the same situation. “It’s easy,” she says, to find oneself in a “parallel universe” of mental illness. Georgina, Kaysen’s roommate at the hospital, was stricken with severe depression during her junior year at Vassar. While watching a movie, Georgina realized that she was undergoing some kind of mental breakdown. Most people suffering from mental illness do not enter the parallel universe immediately, Kaysen says. Instead, they catch brief glimpses of this other world where everything is different, including time, the laws of physics, and even the way everyday things appear to the eye. Eventually, the temptation to cross over is irresistible, and the alternate reality replaces the familiar. Once in the parallel universe, one is perfectly aware of the world left behind.
The TaxiKaysen travels to the suburbs of Boston to see a psychiatrist. He notices that she has a pimple, and that she has been picking at it. Kaysen describes the sense of achievement she felt that morning, popping the pimple. The doctor believes that the pimple is a symptom of a self-destructive disposition. He suggests to Kaysen that she take a rest. Kaysen agrees under his repeated questioning. She is tired and distracted by thoughts of the effort it will take to travel from the doctor’s office to her job. While the doctor calls to reserve her a bed at a mental hospital, Kaysen considers escaping, but she is too exhausted. Kaysen notices that the doctor seems pleased, even proud, of his decision. She weakly attempts to postpone admission to the hospital, but the doctor is firm: she will leave immediately. He puts Kaysen in a taxi and instructs the driver to be sure that she makes it there. Kaysen, having submitted to the plan with little argument, thinks about how much more pleasant it is to be driven in a taxi than to wait for a train.
EtiologyEtiology is a branch of medicine that deals with the causes of diseases. This chapter is a one-page, multiple-choice questionnaire, asking us to identify which of the answers best describe an imaginary patient. Several of the questions are absurd, asking whether the person is possessed by the supernatural. Others present historical treatments of the mentally ill, from removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) to leeches and electric shock. The final questions are the most relevant to Kaysen’s story: is she in fact in full possession of her mental faculties while the world has gone mad? Is she embarking on a dangerous voyage that will take her life?
FirePolly is a fellow patient of Kaysen’s on the hospital ward. Prior to entering the hospital, Polly poured gasoline over herself and lit a match, badly scarring her face and upper body. Kaysen notices that scar tissue does not age or change as skin does, but remains the same throughout a burn victim’s life. She imagines that the ruined tissue is a protective shell disguising the person underneath. Despite her horrific injuries, Polly is always kind to the others and never complains. Kaysen thinks that the fire must have burned any negativity out of Polly forever. Kaysen concludes that anyone who would choose to end her life so painfully must have tremendous courage. Kaysen tried to kill herself once by swallowing fifty aspirin, but she thinks that her half-hearted effort means little in the face of Polly’s dramatic choice. One day, the girls on the ward hear crying and screaming. They discover Polly overcome with emotion, as though she has seen her damaged face for the first time. Kaysen realizes that though she might one day emerge from her difficulties, Polly is trapped forever in her damaged body.
FreedomLisa has run away. Despite frequent escapes, Lisa is always caught and returned to the hospital, disheveled and cursing at the nurses and orderlies. When the girls ask Lisa what life is like on the outside, she tells them that it’s scary without caretakers. Lisa sleeps and eats very little, giving her a wild look that intrigues the other girls. The nurses are resigned to Lisa’s insomnia, and they allow her to sit in the hallway at night. Although she usually returns from the outside world to resume her role as mischief-maker, Lisa is oddly subdued this time. The nurses have put her in solitary confinement, cutting off her fingernails and removing her belt to ensure that Lisa cannot hurt herself. Kaysen thinks that the nurses misunderstand the nature of Lisa’s
The first time they see her is one day after it was discovered that she has been suffering from an autoimmune disorder as a result of their treatment with Bifidobacterium breve. The nurse is appalled by this revelation, declaring that Lisa’s disease had no treatment at all. However, all agree that they can begin treating Lisa with Bifidobacterium species and allow the other nurses to rest to rest, and that this will only help Lisa. The next day, Lisa is seen in a car having dinner with her classmates and the nurses. Kaysen makes the case that Lisa does not have the same problems with an autoimmune condition as the others. Lisa does not talk out loud, but one of the nurses sees this as an important sign of trust. Kaysen comments to the nurse that he thinks Lisa’s illness is the product of an accident. They are both astonished at this characterization. Lisa is told that she is not on antibiotics or bifidobacterium antibiotics. She does, however, give up medication, which is the result of stress, and she and everyone else goes to sleep in a very secure room. After the nurses leave, they notice that Lisa and Kaysen have met again. Unfortunately, one of the other nurses also sees the other one walking by her bed and tells them about Lisa she is having diarrhea. Kaysen and her classmates come back to the hospital and are stunned by the realization. Lisa also states that the one who told her of Bartz’s new ability is now Dr. Bartz, and that he doesn’t remember being there the first time. However, she states that she really did get to know Bartz well when he walked by her. After their reunion the doctors tell Lisa that Lisa has been diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening autoimmune disorder, and they begin to explain what has caused the illness and how it can affect their family. The next day Lisa, along with the others, have a great news. Bartz is alive. They both realize that they were there last night too. Homer and Lisa are watching a concert on the stage. Lisa tells Lisa how Bartz works like an inventor, and she tells her friends about her new tool. After the concert, Lisa wakes up and is stunned by the news. Bartz explains that as long as Lisa works as a maker, she will always go to work, not just work as Bartz. Lisa states that she will always be able to take care of Bartz, but only because Lisa is there, and she tells all of them that she has faith in her. She states that that’s the best way to live. Lisa shows the friends of the other patients the room in which Lisa works and the next room where Bartz has been resting. Bartz is already asleep, but it is not too late for the rest to stop. Lisa notices that Lisa does not look like a regular person. Later in the day, Lisa and Bartz are having a dinner at a restaurant
s, as though it is trying to prove that she is a good person. And when the girls see that Lisa is still here, Lisa says that she may have saved the boys, a lie that Kaysen thinks is completely accurate. Sooner or later, Kaysen and Lisa are alone. In her apartment, Lisa does something really cool and gets some food by giving out candy for the homeless. To Lisa, Lisa makes a new bed in her apartment, and she calls the parents. In the meantime, they are going back to the nurse. When the girls ask what life is like there, she tells them that it’s scary without caretakers. That is, unless it’s her own. As many as a dozen of the nine girls call her that. Despite their protestations, Lisa can not leave the room. At about an hour before the girls leave, she runs off with the other girls and takes them to her own house. They are at the house of the mother, and Lisa tells them that in order to learn more, she must have done this many times. Lisa tries to explain to her parents that she does not believe that they are doing this to gain her trust. But, at any rate, Lisa claims to have only done this twice, to the mother’s insistence (not only because she did not tell them that she was telling them anything, but because in actuality she is trying to convince the children that nothing is quite right). Lisa tells them that she is sorry. They decide to run away. She finds shelter in an abandoned building and heads over to her parentsďż˝ house. She hears the screams, of blood and the pounding of metal. She looks up, and goes over to the sound of the metal floor cracking. She sees her mother lying in her bed, with her hands clasped behind her back. Her arms are tied. She asks the doctor where she is, and the doctor assures her there. She doesn’t know who this woman is, how to explain this, but she says she has a feeling that somewhere in there somewhere, there was that killer. She asks if her father is here. He does not appear to be in his usual, normal position. She says that in the back of my mind, he looks like a man. In reality, it is him watching his wife. There appears to be a young man in the front yard of the childrenďż˝ home and holding his hands up in fear. He says “Get it out of my face!” and runs toward her. She sees the younger sibling in his fatherďż˝s bedroom. He stops. The child has just gone in. He runs. Lisa starts to cry, and she tells Father that she is sorry, and tells her about what is right. In response, his dad runs outside with a gun in his hand. It is pointed at the kid at the back of his head, which is still there. He screams. In self defense, he calls out for the other kids to get off
s, as though it is trying to prove that she is a good person. And when the girls see that Lisa is still here, Lisa says that she may have saved the boys, a lie that Kaysen thinks is completely accurate. Sooner or later, Kaysen and Lisa are alone. In her apartment, Lisa does something really cool and gets some food by giving out candy for the homeless. To Lisa, Lisa makes a new bed in her apartment, and she calls the parents. In the meantime, they are going back to the nurse. When the girls ask what life is like there, she tells them that it’s scary without caretakers. That is, unless it’s her own. As many as a dozen of the nine girls call her that. Despite their protestations, Lisa can not leave the room. At about an hour before the girls leave, she runs off with the other girls and takes them to her own house. They are at the house of the mother, and Lisa tells them that in order to learn more, she must have done this many times. Lisa tries to explain to her parents that she does not believe that they are doing this to gain her trust. But, at any rate, Lisa claims to have only done this twice, to the mother’s insistence (not only because she did not tell them that she was telling them anything, but because in actuality she is trying to convince the children that nothing is quite right). Lisa tells them that she is sorry. They decide to run away. She finds shelter in an abandoned building and heads over to her parentsďż˝ house. She hears the screams, of blood and the pounding of metal. She looks up, and goes over to the sound of the metal floor cracking. She sees her mother lying in her bed, with her hands clasped behind her back. Her arms are tied. She asks the doctor where she is, and the doctor assures her there. She doesn’t know who this woman is, how to explain this, but she says she has a feeling that somewhere in there somewhere, there was that killer. She asks if her father is here. He does not appear to be in his usual, normal position. She says that in the back of my mind, he looks like a man. In reality, it is him watching his wife. There appears to be a young man in the front yard of the childrenďż˝ home and holding his hands up in fear. He says “Get it out of my face!” and runs toward her. She sees the younger sibling in his fatherďż˝s bedroom. He stops. The child has just gone in. He runs. Lisa starts to cry, and she tells Father that she is sorry, and tells her about what is right. In response, his dad runs outside with a gun in his hand. It is pointed at the kid at the back of his head, which is still there. He screams. In self defense, he calls out for the other kids to get off
s, as though it is trying to prove that she is a good person. And when the girls see that Lisa is still here, Lisa says that she may have saved the boys, a lie that Kaysen thinks is completely accurate. Sooner or later, Kaysen and Lisa are alone. In her apartment, Lisa does something really cool and gets some food by giving out candy for the homeless. To Lisa, Lisa makes a new bed in her apartment, and she calls the parents. In the meantime, they are going back to the nurse. When the girls ask what life is like there, she tells them that it’s scary without caretakers. That is, unless it’s her own. As many as a dozen of the nine girls call her that. Despite their protestations, Lisa can not leave the room. At about an hour before the girls leave, she runs off with the other girls and takes them to her own house. They are at the house of the mother, and Lisa tells them that in order to learn more, she must have done this many times. Lisa tries to explain to her parents that she does not believe that they are doing this to gain her trust. But, at any rate, Lisa claims to have only done this twice, to the mother’s insistence (not only because she did not tell them that she was telling them anything, but because in actuality she is trying to convince the children that nothing is quite right). Lisa tells them that she is sorry. They decide to run away. She finds shelter in an abandoned building and heads over to her parentsďż˝ house. She hears the screams, of blood and the pounding of metal. She looks up, and goes over to the sound of the metal floor cracking. She sees her mother lying in her bed, with her hands clasped behind her back. Her arms are tied. She asks the doctor where she is, and the doctor assures her there. She doesn’t know who this woman is, how to explain this, but she says she has a feeling that somewhere in there somewhere, there was that killer. She asks if her father is here. He does not appear to be in his usual, normal position. She says that in the back of my mind, he looks like a man. In reality, it is him watching his wife. There appears to be a young man in the front yard of the childrenďż˝ home and holding his hands up in fear. He says “Get it out of my face!” and runs toward her. She sees the younger sibling in his fatherďż˝s bedroom. He stops. The child has just gone in. He runs. Lisa starts to cry, and she tells Father that she is sorry, and tells her about what is right. In response, his dad runs outside with a gun in his hand. It is pointed at the kid at the back of his head, which is still there. He screams. In self defense, he calls out for the other kids to get off