The main character of the book, Susanna Kaysen, is a strong willed woman who goes thought a lot of pain and depression. I admire her for her courage and strength. She went thought a lot of hard times and pressure in her teenage years. Valerie, the head nurse, is very assured and takes a lot of pressure and abuse from the patients. I gained more and more respect for her as I read more about her. She puts up with a lot of strong and harsh remarks but in the end gains a personal relationship with each of the patients. Lisa was diagnosed as a sociopath. I saw her as Susanna’s best friend in the institution. She was a real troublemaker and knew how to push people buttons. She was a soft person but with a really hard shell. She didn’t like expressing herself and used a negative attitude to hide her true feelings. I admired and disliked her at the same time. I liked her for her independence and outgoing manor, but dislike her negative comments about people and her bad attitude. Susanna described other relationships that she formed with other patients in the hospital. Polly was a young girl who attempted suicide by lighting herself on fire. She amazingly survived with a permanently deformed face. Torry was addicted to amphetamines and shooting up heroin. Daisy was obsessed with laxatives and stored carcasses of chickens under her bed. All of these girls became very close and formed strong and lasting relationships.

The main setting in the book is McLean Hospital right outside of Boston, Massachusetts. It was a large building with long white halls. Just inside the hospital there were three phone booths, a couple of single rooms, the living room and an eat-in kitchen. Further into the building there are more bedrooms, a nursing station, conference room, and hydrotherapy tu

Some topics in this essay:
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