Throughout history, mental illnesses and the effects of these illnesses have been a prevalent topic in many forms of literature. However, mental illnesses and its impacts seem to be most commonly found in specifically American Literature, or literary works written in the United States. Readers often see that protagonists who have suffered mental illnesses or will be diagnosed with mental illnesses within the story are made out to be the enemy or villain of these stories. Readers may see that is is because when ‘under the influence’ of mental, or mind, illnesses, people are not themselves and are rather someone else. Therefore, if they are not themselves, they are often portrayed as the villain. American Literature demonstrates how characters
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Throughout the play, readers--or watchers, rather--get to know Abigail Williams as the town reverend's niece; she is seemingly crazy and insane. The play begins with a scene in which Abigail and several other girls are dancing naked in the woods and readers then realize that she may not be in her right mind. This is because Abigail suffers from symptoms of PTSD after watching the murder of her parents by Native Americans during an attack on her old village (Anthony). Throughout the rest of the play, Abigail seems to cope with this illness by accusing the women in her town of witchery and therefore sets the plot of the play. This begins when Abigail begins the accusations with “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil. I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller 45). Abigail even goes as far as accusing Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of John Proctor - the man Abigail had an affair with- of witchery. In doing so, she believes that by getting Elizabeth out of the way, she would have John all to herself. As said previously, Abigail’s way of “coping” is by accusing and helping accuse women in her community of witchery with incoherently turns her into the villain in the …show more content…
For years and years, the United States has faced the tragedies of hundreds of mass shootings in schools and fingers always point toward those with mental health issues. However, a common misconception is that “people with serious mental illnesses should be considered dangerous” and that statement has no truth. While it is that person’s fault, viewers and watchers of the media do not understand that when the mind is diseased, they are no longer themselves. They have been transformed into this new mindset that leads them to believe mass shootings are the only way out of anything and everything they are going through (Knoll). That being said, those with mental illnesses do not know how to cope with them even though they may have a medication or a certain treatment. In the media, similar to that in American Literature, those with mental illnesses have been made out into the villain of
Throughout the play, readers--or watchers, rather--get to know Abigail Williams as the town reverend's niece; she is seemingly crazy and insane. The play begins with a scene in which Abigail and several other girls are dancing naked in the woods and readers then realize that she may not be in her right mind. This is because Abigail suffers from symptoms of PTSD after watching the murder of her parents by Native Americans during an attack on her old village (Anthony). Throughout the rest of the play, Abigail seems to cope with this illness by accusing the women in her town of witchery and therefore sets the plot of the play. This begins when Abigail begins the accusations with “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil. I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller 45). Abigail even goes as far as accusing Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of John Proctor - the man Abigail had an affair with- of witchery. In doing so, she believes that by getting Elizabeth out of the way, she would have John all to herself. As said previously, Abigail’s way of “coping” is by accusing and helping accuse women in her community of witchery with incoherently turns her into the villain in the …show more content…
For years and years, the United States has faced the tragedies of hundreds of mass shootings in schools and fingers always point toward those with mental health issues. However, a common misconception is that “people with serious mental illnesses should be considered dangerous” and that statement has no truth. While it is that person’s fault, viewers and watchers of the media do not understand that when the mind is diseased, they are no longer themselves. They have been transformed into this new mindset that leads them to believe mass shootings are the only way out of anything and everything they are going through (Knoll). That being said, those with mental illnesses do not know how to cope with them even though they may have a medication or a certain treatment. In the media, similar to that in American Literature, those with mental illnesses have been made out into the villain of