_{How do stereotypes in 20th-century literature and film shape our understanding of mental illness?}

Blind-Eye

In the past for much of history, the mentally ill have been treated very poorly. It was believed that mental illness was caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, or an angry god.  Today, almost everyone is aware of mental illness is not a supernatural force but it is a medical condition. Though, mental illness and psychological responses depicted in literature and film fall victim to the audience’s implicit and explicit biases. Stereotypes in 20th-century literature and film shape our understanding of mental illness

Society has come a long way to feel the need to represent mental disorders publicly. The journey of earning representation had to pass the tortuous and humiliating depiction of the mentally ill in literature and media before getting validation and scientific recognition. Stereotypes that contribute to the stigmatization of mentally ill persons include the mental patient as a rebellious free spirit, homicidal maniac, seductress, enlightened member of society, parasite. 

Shakespeare was fascinated by mental illness. The common trope of his troubled protagonist was hysteria, melancholia, insanity, and self-destruction of the dramatic effect. Mental illness during the Victorian era was not understood well, especially for women. One of the most famous female characters in Shakespeare suffering from mental illness is Ophelia from the play “Hamlet”. Ophelia is a young noblewoman of Denmark, a potential wife of Hamlet. However, Hamlet abandoned the relationship before marriage which drove her to death. She is a young girl passionately and visibly driven to eroticized madness. (“Ophelia, Gender and Madness”) Some may say, Ophelia’s picturesque madness is valid because women in the Victorian era are expected to conserve their chastity before marriage and with her virginity compromised, it should be humiliating during that era. Her madness and suicide are showing her fear of her status as a woman. Also, it is a clear representation of depression and frustration women suffer because of the societal double standard that is forgiving towards men’s sexuality. Instead, pointing the flaw of society and create awareness, Shakespeare chose to exploit femininity and ornament madness, suicide as a sacrifice. 

Women are generally expected to dress in feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Disney has always provided us our favorite childhood entertainment. Even though Disney princesses today are shown as authority figures, visually powerful and skillful. Childella, snow-white, and aurora, the original Disney princesses are iconic for their femininity.  In the story of the beauty and beast, Belle had Stockholm syndrome. Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response. It occurs when hostages or abuse victims bond with their captors or abusers. Belle is a self-component and smart lady whose father got prisoned by a beast. Belle gives herself to the beast to free her father from the agony. However, she somehow falls in love with him, even though he became a beast as punishment for his cold-heart and selfishness. Why does she love him, even though the beast hurt her father, was not a good man before the transformation, and last but not least, hideous. Belle has Stockholm syndrome, but it is rendered as love to us. This is problematic because Stockholm syndrome is already a confusing psychological response to many. Young girls watching this may follow the polite and feminine expectations that their beloved idols are portraying. 

Homosexuality is a controversial topic in the religious realm. [popularly Christianity, because most Americans were Christians during the 1900 century]. First published in 1968 in the American classification of mental disorders listed homosexuality as a mental disorder. By the end of the 19th century, medicine and psychiatry were effectively competing with religion over sexuality. As a consequence, discourse about homosexuality expanded from the realms of sin and crime to include that of pathology. Gay and lesbian characters are rare in early literature and films. The Motion Picture Production Code was established to curtail government censorship and to prevent the loss of revenue from boycotts led by the Catholic Church and fundamentalist Protestant groups. (Herek) Even though hysteria, melancholia (the euphemistic term for depression in my opinion), and many mental illnesses are featured for the artistic and poetic touch, queerness would not be shown even though it was known as mental illness. Despite the anti-gay bias and stigma, various authors found success in authoring gay literature.  

Even though The classical authors love to stash mad women up in towers or drive men to insanity for the quest for power. Later, books would introduce readers to evil nurses, forced lobotomies, and botched attempts at electro-shock therapy. Needless to say, mental illness was even less understood in the past than it is today. Some classic literature beloved by many has shown an accurate and relatable depiction of mental illness. 

The yellow wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is about women who are suffering from postpartum depression in restricted treatment, set by her husband.  Patients of any kind of depression should be respected and allowed to make decisions regarding their lifestyle and health. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote this story in 1892 based on her mental condition. Without her knowledge a century later this story transformed into feminist literature for the realistic depiction of mental illness in women. Just the personal experience of the authors increased the credibility and allowed readers to sympathize with the women with mental illness.  

Mental illness has more awareness today than ever. Mental illness month [May] is celebrated to decrease stigmatization and increase awareness. Celebrities and individuals with large followings have openly shared their mental health journey. Today most people suffering from mental illnesses are not hospitalized. If someone is feeling very depressed, complains of hearing voices, or feels anxious all the time, he or she might seek psychological treatment which is way more humane than in the past. Contemporary and modern literature and film touch more on morals and focus on the accuracy of mental illness to present realistic characters for audiences to savor. The attempt for emotional and character depth on contemporary works are encouraging modern audiences to explore psychology and psychopathology. 

Besides the “yellow wallpaper”, the general population has been largely impacted but the “Catcher in the Rye”, and “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest”. Both the starting individual with mental illness as protagonists.  The representation of the minority character with a disability can defuse stigma and increase awareness. If the representation is done incorrectly, it might spawn stereotypes. The stereotype is a widely held oversimplified and fixed image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. For example, dissociative identity disorder or DID  violent alters have frequently been the premise of horror movies and shaping the horror genre itself. it is not supported by what is known about dissociative identity disorder. The 2016 film, “Split”, features a villain with 24 personalities who abduct and tortures three women. There is already a stigma surrounding DID. This movie can block individuals with DID or concern to come out. DID is a mental disorder that is still not understood by doctors. To villainize or weaponize the DID for entertainment is harming not only their mental health but also their reputation. According to the article, DID represents over 1% of Americans who are rarely violent. (Nedelman)

Throughout the paper, we explored how the media can affect our attitude towards mental illness. Our existing stereotypes are stronger than what movies or novels propose us to believe. After the unfortunate 9/11 incident, Muslim and Arab populations have been hunted for revenge. Even a decade after the incident, any individual from a brown or Muslim background is always quickly categorized as a terrorist. However, the contrary happens on the other side. The Columbine shooting, Parkland school shooting, and innumerable gun violence have traumatized the young generation. However, the individuals who committed those crimes are never disclosed as a terrorist, but an individual suffering mental illness. In recent years it has become a ritual that American crime shows must add an episode exposing the brown terrorists and an episode saving the school shooter from hurting others and self-destruction. This double standard is in media fueling racist biases and stigma in the Muslim community to get help. 

Media have become more influential and assembled than ever after the arrival of tv in our homes. We as the audience see the new wave of movies created including diversity like people from different races, sexuality, and mental health issues.  The message about mental illness gets lost in translation because of our existing biases from society. Similarly, The awareness developed from one piece of literature can impact our attitude toward the next depiction of the same disorder in another. 

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Bibliography

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, 1860-1935. The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader: The Yellow 

Wallpaper, and Other Fiction. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980

“Ophelia, Gender and Madness.” The British Library, 2016, www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/ophelia-gender-and-madness, https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/ophelia-gender-and-madness.

Avery. “Romanticizing and Eroticizing Mental Illnesses.” Book Deviant, 24 Aug. 2017, bookdeviant.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/romanticizing-and-eroticizing-mental-illnesses/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2020.

Herek, Gregory. “Homosexuality and Mental Health.” Ucdavis.Edu, 2012, psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_mental_health.html.

Jackson, Shirley. “Colloquy.” The New Yorker, www.newyorker.com/magazine/1944/08/05/colloquy-2. Accessed 16 Dec. 2020.

“Mental Health History Timeline.” Studymore.org.Uk, 2009, studymore.org.uk/mhhtim.htm.

Nedelman, Michael. “What Shyamalan’s ‘Split’ Gets Wrong.” CNN, 23 Jan. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/health/shyamalan-split-movie-dissociative-identity-disorder/index.html.

Vermeulen, Monique. An Investigation into the Representation of the Mentally Ill in Popular Film. Jan. 2008.

Weir, Kirsten. “The Beginnings of Mental Illness.” Https://Www.Apa.org, www.apa.org/monitor/2012/02/mental-illness.

Wolff, Cynthia Griffin. “A Mirror for Men: Stereotypes of Women in Literature.” The Massachusetts Review, vol. 13, no. 1/2, 1972, pp. 205–218, www.jstor.org/stable/25088222?seq=1.

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