Ableism and Mental Illness in Literature
It is easily argued that most early literature, wherever it may come from, is usually problematic in some way or another. One theme I have noticed through the books we have read this semester is mental illness and ableism. It is not added information that back then, people did not know about the importance of mental health let alone be able to tell the signs of someone who is doing unwell mentally. Because of this, a lot of early literature has some pretty tragic happenings due to the ignorance around mental health and disability. Mental struggles have been in the spotlight of most early literature, and still to this day on television. The issue with this is, it became such a huge theme because nobody understood it. When someone did not act “normal” it was entertaining to others and created a story for them. So, a lot of the texts we have read have steady themes of abuse, mental illness/disability, and just all-around psychological torment. When reading these stories, it is hard not to take pity on certain characters. Almost every time a text involves someone struggling there is someone else there to make it worse. As already mentioned, nobody knew anything about mental health, so people who were struggling were not treated with any sort of decency. According to recent studies, “In early 19th century America, care for the mentally ill was almost non-existent: the afflicted were usually relegated to prisons, almshouses, or inadequate supervision by families.” (https://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/exhibits/quackery/quack5.html.) Stories would make the character spiral and would typically result in some sort of disaster that ends up being a huge plot point in the story. While none of these people needed to be “fixed,” they could have used some support. The effects of ignoring mental health struggles have always proven to be problematic.
These representations in stories only made the stigma in real life increase. These stories were showing people what was “normal” and not normal, which is damaging. It is partly because of this that we have this idealized version of what “normal” is in our heads. But what is normal? It is different for everyone, so who are these people to create these false narratives in our head of what is considered good and bad. People who struggle with mental health or mental disabilities do not need to be “fixed” or hidden away from society, they need to be embraced and supported in their communities so they can thrive in their own way. Being mentally ill or disabled does not mean you are unable to function, society is what makes it harder to function. The world has never been inclusive to disabled folks, which makes development even harder on them.
Hamlet has a huge underlying theme of mental instability. From the start we see Hamlet depressed and mourning the death of his father. When asked how he is by the Queen, Hamlet answers “Seems,” madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems.” ’Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, nor customary suits of solemn black, nor windy suspiration of forced breath, no, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected havior of the visage, together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, that can denote me truly. These indeed “seem,” For they are actions that a man might play; But I have that within which passes show, These but the trappings and the suits of woe.” (Shakespeare, 1.2.79). In this quote, Hamlet seems to express that his grief goes much deeper than the loss of his father, and that he is incredibly depressed in life. This quote is concerning, Hamlet is obviously not okay, but nobody can recognize that. One thing that is sure to have not aided in making Hamlet feel better is the toxic masculinity shown right at the beginning of this play. After Hamlet expresses how depressed he feels, the king responds with “’Tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, An understanding simple and unschooled. For what we know must be and is as common As any the most vulgar thing to sense, why should we in our peevish opposition Take it to heart?” (Shakespeare, 1.2.90). The king basically tells Hamlet that he needs to be a man, and that everybody has lost a father and he should simply move on. This would likely damage someone who is grieving. Being told that the thing that has caused so much sadness and mourning in your life actually does not even matter is traumatizing.
Hamlet’s mood changes a lot throughout the play. He seems to change energy so much it is hard to keep track. He will go from being depressed and mourning to anxious and paranoid to brave and righteous. Hamlet experiences bouts of mania throughout the story but people just make comments on how he has gone insane without helping. After being told that his father’s ghost was seen, Hamlet goes on a power trip, and we see his demeanor change completely. He says “My father’s spirit—in arms! All is not well. I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come! Till then, sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise, Though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes.” (Shakespeare, 1.2.276). Hamlet now talks about getting revenge for his father’s death, seemingly forgetting the recent depression. Later in the play, Hamlet gives his iconic “to be or not to be” speech, where he basically compares the pros and cons of dying. During this same scene, he seems to be launched into another manic episode when he tries to act like he has lost his mind in front of Ophelia. He was telling himself it was an act, but it most definitely was not. This is around when he impulsively murders Polonius before going to England. Throughout the rest of the story, Hamlet continues to go up and down, leaving depressive episodes just to enter a manic one. In the end, Hamlet ended up causing a lot of death and destruction with his antics. And whether he believed it was an “act” or not, he was displaying obvious signs of a mood disorder which is extremely debilitating to live with.
As mentioned earlier, this theme of ongoing mental illness is prevalent in a lot of early literature works. Another example of this is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It tells the story of Victor Frankenstein and his building of a “monster.” He makes this creation with likely no thought in mind into what would happen as a result. From the looks of it, Victor is a lonely guy, and wanted to feel more like he belonged in his community and like he could be proud of something he has done. Once he is done making this creation, everything takes a turn for the worse. The creation ends up murdering some of Victor’s family and his friend. The monster told Victor it just wanted him to make it a wife so it would not feel so alone in a world full of people that did not look like him (humans). Once the creature starts to kill parts of Victor’s family, he understandably develops a lot of anxiety and paranoia. Victor is seen constantly looking over his shoulder because of anxiety over who the monster would hurt next. Victor became depressed after losing his family and best friend, and Mary Shelley shows that in chapter nine. Victor says “this state of mind preyed upon my health, which had perhaps never entirely recovered from the first shock it had sustained. I shunned the face of man; solitude was my only consolation—deep, dark, deathlike solitude.” (Shelley, 94). In this quote Victor admits that he never got a chance to fully recover from his trauma and explains that he is struggling with his mental health.
There are claims that say Victor was the real monster and he never built one. That he had schizophrenia and used the monster as a cover up for his inherit evilness. Although it is just a theory, it would make sense. Victor’s hard childhood combined with the traumas of what the creature has done has made him paranoid, depressed, and suicidal. There is a chance these are weighing on him more heavily because he is taking responsibility for these deaths. Overall, Victor’s mental instability and carelessness resulted in the deaths of many people that he cares about. If we had the information we have now, Victor would have gotten the support he needed.
In summary, mental illness is everywhere. Everywhere we look it is there. Whether it be television or social media or real life, mental health is something most people are faced with daily. It is interesting to see how it was perceived in early literature compared to now. None of these mental illnesses require “fixing” or a “cure.” According to Bellee Jones-Pierce and her work, “Rather than policing metaphor or advocating for the removal of disability metaphors from poetic discourse, I argue metaphors of disability have indelibly marked poetic practice and lyric itself.” (https://belleejonespierce.com). People struggling simply require understanding, care, and support. Which is unfortunately something there was very little of in early literature times. But, because of this, we get to learn about how mental health struggles have evolved and affected literature over time. These texts can now serve as a reminder that mental health should be taken seriously, and the stigma around it has created an unnecessary social barrier that we, to this day, have not been able to cross.
Works Cited
Antonia, and Antonia. “Fall 2015 Shakespeare I: Team 4.” Fall 2015 Shakespeare I Team 4, 7 Dec. 2015, https://hawksites.newpaltz.edu/fall2015eng406team4/2015/12/07/evidence-of-hamlets-bipolar-disorder/.
Breuhail031, Breuhail. “Breuks’ Blog.” Powered by Grand Erie Network, 12 Sept. 2018, http://sites.granderie.ca/breuhail031/2018/12/09/schizophrenia-of-frankenstein/.
Floyd, Barbara. “Mental Health.” The University of Toledo, University of Toledo, 1 July 2019, https://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/exhibits/quackery/quack5.html
Pierce, Bellee Jones. “Intersectionality Talks.” The Open Learning & Teaching Collaborative, Plymouth State University, 16 Feb. 2022, https://colab.plymouthcreate.net/programs/intersectionality/.
Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet, Entire Play.” The Folger SHAKESPEARE, The Folger Library, 12 Nov. 2019, https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/hamlet/entire-play/.
Shelley, Mary. “Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus.” The Project Gutenberg EBook of Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley, Project Gutenberg, 1993, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm.
Sprockets and Springes 