Blog #3 Topic #3

Insanity as defined by dictionary.com is the “persistent mental disorder or derangement”. It is like a severe mental illness. Something that this definition leaves out is that insanity doesn’t necessarily only mean one’s mental health, it can also be talking about something that is irrational or extremely foolish. Each person’s view on something can be different. If one person finds something sane, it’s safe to assume that another person can find the same thing insane.

As an American-born-Chinese, I learn about my culture from my parents and other relatives. There are many beliefs that we follow that are perfectly normal to us, yet can be seem as bizarre to others. For example, my eldest sister told us younger ones many times that as a baby, she has been burnt on her behind. After asking my grandmother, we learned that doing so helped her rid of a serious fever she was fighting against. Another cultural belief, or superstitious in this sense, is that our beds should never be in line with the door. If your bed is directly across from the door, it is said to resemble a coffin that is taken away feet first, and in doing so, a ghost will drag you away at night. Though these beliefs are commonly practiced by us, other cultures may find them extremely foolish or irrational. In fact, I find the idea that using fire to cure fevers completely absurd.

As seen above, what some find sane, others find insane, and vice versa. This idea is also seen in the play, “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. In this play, we follow the life of Blanche, who moves in to stay with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley. Throughout her stay, Blanche does a lot of actions that make her seem crazier than normal. She lies about her age in hopes to get together with a man, she always looks down on Stanley, and she doesn’t tell Stella the truth about why she moved in with them: she got involved with a student at her school and got kicked out. She may seem innocent, but she’s always keeping things to herself and having weird thoughts. At first glance, one may think Blanche is insane, but if we take into consideration her past, we may find that maybe she isn't as crazy as we thought.

Blanche was married and was happily in love with her husband until she found out he liked men. This came as a huge shock to her, and after confronting him, her husband shot himself, which shocked her even more. She then loses her family home and with no other place to stay, lives with Stella. There, she learns that Stella’s husband doesn’t exactly treat Stella with care, and this is not to Blanche’s liking. Moving a little more forward, Blanche gets raped by Stanley. After having these tragic events happen to her, it is no surprise that Blanche acts the way she does. She’s only responding to what the world gives her, and these responses unfortunately make her seem abnormal to others. But of course, the others do not see this as by the end of the play, Blanche gets taken away by doctors, hinting that she’s going to the mental hospital.