Veronica Decides To DieEssay Preview: Veronica Decides To DieReport this essayPlot SummaryIn his brilliant novel about the aftermath of a young womans suicide attempt, Paulo Coelho explores three perennial themes: conformity, madness, and death. Twenty-four-year-old Veronika lives in Slovenia, one of the republics created by the dissolution of Yugoslavia. She works as a librarian by day, and by night carries on like many single women — dating men, occasionally sleeping with them, and returning to a single room she rents at a convent. It is a life, but not a very compelling one. So one day, Veronika decides to end it. Her failed attempt, and her inexplicable reasons for wanting to die, land her in a mental hospital, Vilette.
P.S.: A lot has changed since this novel was first published, and I’m not sure I should include the words “real”- or “alternative-reality” anywhere, to avoid being caught by coincidence. I’ll take the word counterpoint in my next post, and post a link to the original link, here.
P.S.: A lot has changed since this novel was first published, and I’m not sure I should include the words “real”- or “alternative-reality” anywhere, to avoid being caught by coincidence. I’ll take the word counterpoint in my next post, and post a link to the original link, here.
P.S.: A lot has changed since this novel was first published, and I’m not sure I should include the words “real”- or “alternative-reality” anywhere, to avoid being caught by coincidence. I’ll take the word counterpoint in my next post, and post a link to the original link, here.
Veronikas disappointment at having survived suicideis palpable. She imagines the rest of her life filled with disillusionment and monotomy, and vows not to leave Vilette alive. Much to her surprise, however, she learns that a fate she desires awaits her anyway: She is destined to die within a weeks time, of a heart damage caused by her suicide attempt. Gradually, this knowledge changes Veronikas perception of death and life.
In the meantime, Vilettes head psychiatrist attempts a fascinating but provocative experiment. Can you “shock” someone into wanting to live by convincing her that death is imminent? Like a doctor applying defibrillator paddles to a heart attack victim, Dr. Igors “prognosis” jump-starts Veronikas new appreciation of the world around her. From within Vilettes controlled environment, she finally allows herself to express the emotions she has never allowed herself to feel: hate and love, anger and joy, disgust and pleasure. Veronika also finds herself being drawn into the lives of other patients who lead constrained but oddly satisfying lives. Eduard, Zedka, and Mari have been sent to Vilette because there doesnt seem to be any other place for them. Their families dont understand them, and they cant adjust to the social structure that doesnt tolerate their individuality. Each of these patients reflects on Veronikas situation in his or her own flash of epiphany, exposing new desire and fresh vision for life that lies outside the asylums walls.
Vilette is an asylum in the purest sense of the word: a place of protection, where one is shielded from danger. In this case the danger is society. Those who refuse to accept societys rules have two choices: succumb to the majoritys perception that they are mad, or struggle against that majority and try to find their own way in the world.
The protective walls of Vilette are liberating to its patients, allowing them to explore their “madness” without criticism or harm. What they discover is both natural and startling.
A novel that starts out as contemplation on the expression of conformity and madness, turns into a dazzling exploration of the unconscious choices we make each day between living and dying, despair and liberation.
Topics for DiscussionVeronika claims to have chosen suicide in order to achieve “freedom at last. Eternal oblivion.” What would make freedom and oblivion so appealing to a twenty-four-year-old woman? What is significant about the use of the word “decides” in the title?
Although Veronikas story takes