Author: aatorresrosado

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A product of her environment or a product of possession? Both.

The one question that continues to arise in the novel, and in my head as I read said novel, deals with the source of Marjorie’s actions. Is she possessed? Is she mentally ill? What could be causing her to act this way? We are told that Marjorie has confided in Merry that she is acting in this manner in order to keep the reality TV show going, so that they do not suffer financial hardship. I do not agree with her statement as my personal analysis guides me to believe that there are more factors at play. Marjorie’s actions are a combination of the environment that she is forced to deal with, and possession.

The hostile environment is extremely evident in the actions of Marjorie’s parents. Throughout the recent readings we see that the Mother has turned to alcohol and the Father becomes very violent. I believe the Father being sent to jail was a catalyst for the  violent seres of events  that occurred during the exorcism in chapter 22. There are times where young Merry attempts to bring the family together, yet her efforts are fruitless. Her mother pushes her away physically and emotionally, while the father channels his inner anger towards her. The family situation was never perfect, but I believe the worsening conditions have lead to more outbursts from Marjorie. I for one did not believe that Marjorie could cause physical pain, yet she did so in chapter 22. What were once “weird” actions emanating from a young girl are now acts that can be considered threatening to the lives around her.

 

The father is cuffed and taken to jail after attacking protesters outside of his house. This image is representative of the pent up or “jailed” anger that he has inside.

 

While Marjorie believes that she is doing good by “acting” for the camera, I believe that this is also contributing to the detrimental environment. Students at the school are posting mean sexual Instagram pictures while her sister is being bullied for the show. Marjorie, who up until a certain point had unmonitored access to her laptop, has access to this cyberbullying. She can see the comments that are being made by those who are seeing her on TV, which does not help her mental health. If Marjorie does have mental health problems, it is best to not publicly display it on television for the entertainment pleasures of others.

Cyberbullying is a real threat in our modern day society, and Marjorie is being subjected to it.

 

This brings me to my final point: Marjorie’s actions are also due to her being possessed. By what? At this point in the novel I am not entirely sure that we can pinpoint a specific answer. On one hand I believe that the possibility of her being possessed by a demon is plausible. The strength that she demonstrated while being tied down to the bed during the attempted exorcism is unnatural for a girl her age. Merry describes her as “standing up like she wasn’t tied down.” I also believe in the possibility of Marjorie having a mental illness. Mental illnesses develop at different ages, and they manifest themselves in certain methods. I have studied psychology before and see several symptoms of psychosis in Marjorie. The most evident being her consistent claim to “hear voices” in her head and her cries for help during the exorcism. I believe that one can be possessed by a mental illness, as one does not have control of their actions. Their autonomy may sometimes be out of their reach.

This reading has put forth a couple of questions that I feel are necessary to talk about before continuing with the novel. Does the unwillingness of some overzealous religious humans to comply with medical treatment occur often in our society, or societies around the world? How can parents be more aware of the symptoms of a mental illness? Why does Marjorie believe her dad is possessed?

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When you can’t move on, recreate them.

As a sentient human being, I understand the need that Martha felt when she lost Ash. Losing a loved one, especially when they are your spouse, is a difficult situation to navigate through. For this reason I understand her actions when she chose to recreate Ash in physical form. Martha was lonely and needed the comfort that she had recently lost. Were we to take the program that allowed Ash to be recreated and put it out into the world, I do not believe that it would be chaotic. For a small amount of time after Ash’s “rebirth” she genuinely felt better and it showed through her physical appearance. However, I think this program would have to be regulated and temporary.

The main issue that I have with the recreation of Ash is that it allowed Martha to become obsessive over an animate object that had no soul and technically was not real. She continuously denied calls from her sister and consistently updated the faux Ash about the progress of the baby. These actions are all very strange and indicate an obsession, as she was becoming absolved into a world that was not real.  We can also see that the obsession does not cease, as years later the faux Ash is still living at the house. A temporary rebirth would allow the grieving person to better their emotional state. In Martha’s case, she was pregnant. I am not too well versed in the process of pregnancy, but I do know that the emotions that the mother feels impact the development of the baby. In cases such as Martha’s, this program would be beneficial.

One of the ethical questions that came up as I watched the episode deals with the dead person’s ability to consent to being recreated. The first consent issue arises when Martha is signed up for the program even though she does not wish to become involved. The second issue is: would the dead person want to be recreated in such a manner? What if Ash, while living, has heard of the program yet had asked Martha to not do it? How can we determine what the dead would like to have done? I see the ethical dilemma arise from the fact that someone may not wish to be “rebirthed”, yet a grieving family member may go against these wishes. Does a person still have rights to their identity and digital footprint after they have passed? These are the questions that we must figure out before this becomes  a reality.

 

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