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So Marjorie’s threats to her sister and graphically detailed attack on the priest during the exorcism somewhat strike me as playing into that stereotype. \u00a0She rips a chunk of flesh out of a man’s forearm with her teeth. \u00a0That’s a pretty horrifying, animalistic sort of violence.<\/p>\n
However, I also see this book as a critique of the treatment of the mentally ill. \u00a0Marjorie is clearly unsatisfied with her care from Dr. Hamilton, whom she describes as having “the fastest prescription pad in the east” (124), and her illness is not discussed candidly among her family members. \u00a0Marjorie’s illness is treated as shameful and taboo, and she therefore lacks the familial support to recover, noting that her illness was probably caused by stress in the first place (124).<\/p>\n
Therefore, despite Marjorie’s display of violence during the exorcism, I found that scene to be the culmination of the misunderstanding and mistreatment she faced during the novel. \u00a0Already seriously ill, she was restrained (as the mentally ill often are) and left cold and frightened. \u00a0Marjorie had, in comparison, far more abuse inflicted upon her than she inflicted upon others.<\/p>\n
The true horror of\u00a0A Head Full of Ghosts\u00a0<\/em>is not Marjorie’s illness, or even the shocking revelation in part 3, but a depiction of the very real cruelty, misunderstanding, and abuse people with serious mental illnesses experience all too frequently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The other day in class, when Dr. Sample asked which of us thought Marjorie was actually possessed, I said “I hope she is.” \u00a0I felt that way for two reasons. \u00a0The first is that demonic possession is cool and scary and very entertaining to read about. \u00a0I find supernatural horror incredibly fun. \u00a0 But the … <\/p>\n