Essay Sample on Mental Health in "Delirium" by Laura Restrepo

Introduction

Delirium is a book by Laura Restrepo that tells the story of a Colombian family that struggles to solve the mystery of insanity that has befallen one of theirs. The rest of the story sees the husband trying to piece together the possible causes of his wife's delirium. The investigation takes them down a path of haunting memories that is entangled with the violent history of the country. The setting of the story is in Colombia, a country that has had a history of violence related to drug trafficking along with a politically charged civil war. The mass killing and decapitation affected the residents of Colombia, and Agustina is one of the people that has experienced the traumatizing events. The author uses the experiences of Agustina to show readers how haunted memories from historical events along with trauma affected the citizens of Colombia.

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Colombia's history with violence is among the factors that cause trauma to Agustina hence affecting her mental stability. According to Uribe, Colombia is a country with amnesia for a long time (pg.18). Uribe says that the country has been at war since 1948(pg.18). Images of dead bodies floating down the river had become standard in Colombia. Through the thoughts of Agustina, the reader gets to understand the history of Colombia as a country and how these events are responsible for what is happening to Agustina and her family. Agustina is lost in her mind as she tries to come in terms with her past experiences. In the end, it seems like there is hope for her after all. Hope that lies in solving the trauma that causes her delirium.

The author also uses reverse narration to reveal haunted memories and trauma. It is essential to understand that the problems that plague Agustina are not new. All along Agustina's financial status protected her from the harsh realities of her environment. However, the unsolved trauma and haunting memories from her past soon caught up with her, and it is up to her husband, Aguilar to find the cause of his wife's condition. Aguilar's investigation's take the readers back memory lane as he tried to piece together some of the events that contributed to his wife's health. It is not entirely possible to pinpoint the exact spot of the problem, but the combined nature of the events form what Uribe describes as "social catastrophe"(pg.18).

Restrepo uses gaps in the story as a way to show the narrator's effort to forget the traumatizing events. The first gap is concerning the images that Agustina is starring at outside the window. As the reader goes through the novel, it becomes clear that Agustina is also psychic which allows her to see more than the other people. The author is juggling between Agustina's psychic abilities and her delirium to the point that the difference between the two becomes unclear to the reader. At some point, it seems like the psychic powers are, in fact, a form of delirium. The reader is not able to reconcile Agustina's powers with her mental instability. There is a gap that the author leaves unattended to, and it is up to the reader to decide on what they think is the truth. The other shortcoming is on Augustina's aunt who shows up out of nowhere and claims to understand Augustina's illness. It is not clear on how she found out about Agustina's mental health. However, her presence tells that there is a connection between Agustina's condition and her background which involve her family members. However, the most significant gap is in Agustina's future. From the story, the narrator seems to suggest that Agustina may be regaining her sanity. The reader isn't quite sure if Agustina regained her sanity and if the group search for the truth was the cure.

The absence of direct information is linked to what Agustina is starring outside the window. In the novel, the narrator says," I knew something irreparable had happened the moment a man opened the door to that hotel room, and I saw my wife sitting at the far end of the room, looking out the window in the strangest way, (Restrepo 1). Agustina's condition is comparable to what is happening in Colombia. When people disappear, there is the crime but no victim (Uribe 1). When Agustina stares out the window, her physical presence represents the crime while her psychological presence represents the victim. Her mind symbolizes victim because it is what was affected by the atrocities that happened in her country. Once again, the reader has to piece together such a connection because of the absence of direct information.

The physical images she sees are the same as the ones she sees in the window of her mind. Her psychological deterioration seems to manifest itself in the form of an obsession with clarity. Agustina is always cleaning things around the house, mostly windows. The narrator terms these as rituals, but they are more than that. The images outside the windows somehow resemble the ones that are responsible for Agustina's trauma. In the book, the Aguilar says that Sundays offered a reprieve to the rocky moments between him and his wife (Restrepo 20). On Sundays, Agustina would regain some of her sanity and seem more welcoming to Aguilar. The reason for the change in moods according to Agustina is that Sundays are the only days that Aguilar agrees to shut the doors and Windows (Restrepo 20). That means that whatever images were outside that window are somehow connected with Agustina's delirium.

Agustina is trying to forget the experiences of her childhood. In one occasion, Agustina cut her younger brother's finger while trying to clip his fingernails. The way the author describes the event is traumatic because of the vivid description of the blood oozing out of Bichi's finger (Restrepo 54). Nevertheless, what stands out from that section of the book is how Agustina wanted to forget that moment so much that she cried because of the brown spots left on the bedspread. A reminder of the pain that she brought her sibling. Events such as these are what are responsible for Agustina's unstable mental status. As one reads the book, they see delirium as a symbol of inconsistent thought and behavior in a person. For example, at one point of the story, Aguilar says," Agustina my love, that family of yours has always been a collection of crazies," (Restrepo 50). That means that Agustina's condition is partly affected by her family background. Her psychic abilities also appear to be part of her delirium based on her actions around the house. It is not clear whether they are real, but the author's tone seems to suggest that she believes in such kinds of events. Agustina's ability to see the future or perceive objects beyond the physical realm is part of the common themes in Latin America literature (De Castro, 97).

The author uses delirium as a way to show the reader why Agustina's trauma is so deep. As outlined earlier, Agustina's ordeal is not similar to that of her family members. The family members seem capable of controlling their condition except for Agustina who looks overwhelmed by her state (Restrepo 50). She has an inconsistent line of thoughts that make her display multiple personalities. It is also evident that her condition is worsened by her so-called powers which make her irrational at times. Her aunt's appearance when she began to relapse is evidence that her family members have always been aware of her condition. It is also proof that Agustina's mental health is different from those of her family members. Agustina's acutely disturbed mental state causes her deep trauma.

The author has used language and experience to link the social and psychological aspects of the book through memories and haunted past. In the book, the reader sees a society struggling to recover from the effects of war and drug-related violence. The memories and images of these events manifest themselves through the haunted mind of Agustina and her family. Through memories, the reader gets a grasp of the social aspects of Colombia that defines the country and its people. However, the social issue of Colombia and its people is not restricted to memories and language. The people who carry these memories seem to have developed a subjective way to deal with these experiences. Supernatural events such as Agustina's psychic abilities explain the psychological part of the book. The society as represented by Agustina's family believes in these occurrences although the author tries to conceal the truth in conditions in a language such as delirium. The literature of the author suggests that the psychological aspect of the story is hidden in Agustina's delirium. As her husband tries to locate the source of her insanity, he comes across experiences of her past that are reminiscent of Colombia's violent history. Through language and experiences of Agustina and her family, the reader understands the social and psychological aspect of Colombia.

Conclusion

Restrepo uses the delirium of Agustina to show the reader the haunted memories and trauma in the Colombian society. The violent history of the country continues to haunt the minds of its population. The author also leaves gaps in the story of Agustina hence forcing the reader to fill in part of the story with their interpretation of what they think might have occurred. The resulting absence of direct information tells the reader that the narrator is also trying to forget some bits of information. The deficiency is linked to what Agustina sees outside the window. Her physical body is present, but her psychological part is absent from the scene. The images that Agustina is looking at on the window are similar to the images that Agustina is seeing in her mind. She is trying to forget the traumatic events of her childhood which were traumatizing. After reading the novel, I understood delirium as a series of inconsistent thought and behavior. The insanity which includes her psychic powers is responsible for her deep trauma which supersedes that of her family members. The author has used the experiences of Agustina to link language and experience with social and psychological aspects of Colombia.

Works Cited

De Castro, Juan E. Mestizo Nations: Culture, Race, and Conformity in Latin American Literature. University of Arizona Press, 2002.

BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Restrepo, Laura. Delirium. Trans. Natasha Wimmer. New York: Vintage International Edition, 2007. Print.

Uribe, Maria Victoria. "Liquid tombs for Colombias' dessapeared." Academia (2013): 18-20. Internet.