A Whisper in the Dark conveys new meaning in the concept of insanity. Because the story is narrated through Sybil’s eyes, the reader is not able to get a full, coherent picture of the story as it is unfolding. The story has an added element of chaos that I found very intriguing as I read. As Sybil grows madder and madder during her forced stay in the insane asylum, the story also becomes more and more bizarre. As I took a step back during the reading I wondered if the events were truly playing out in the same uncanny fashion described, or if Sybil’s perception of reality was indeed skewed and affecting the plotline. Her depictions of “a ghostly hand [that] emerged and beckoned” in the middle of the night seems to be a bit farfetched (234). The strange descriptions of her surroundings are also coupled with interjections she makes about her “health was going, [her] mind growing confused and weak” (235). These statements about her inevitable madness almost act as a plea for the reader to believe that she is still lucid enough to recognize her twisted fate playing out in front of her.
The fact that Sybil’s mother is residing in the room above her at the same insane asylum not only plays into the reoccurring theme of coincidences but also adds a new dynamic to the mother-daughter relationships we have seen thus far. The letter that her mother writes instructs her to “leave this accursed house while you have the power to do it” (238). I thought that it was very symbolic to see Sybil’s mother reaching out to her in an attempt to save her child even though she was unaware of her identity. It showed that same important ideal of mother’s protecting their children.
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This is a very deep book to read and it really makes you look at things differently. I like your viewpoint on your reading.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled into your blog.
Kindest regards,
Tom Bailey
It was pretty interesting reading a book written in the first person as the narrator was going insane. It makes you question whether what's happening is actually happening. With no other points of view in the story I took what Sybil was saying to be fact.
ReplyDeleteYour blog tied in a bunch of the main points that we talked about in class, great job! I really liked the last point you made, the fact that Sybil's mother still reaches out to Sybil about getting out of the house even though she doesnt know that it's Sybil. This definitely shows how important the "mother-figure" was during the 18th and 19th Centuries, that whether or not a mother knows if a child is hers, she will still attempt to help that child and give it all the best it deserves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of what you said about the relationships between mothers and their daughters. I think that Sybil’s mother reaching out to her does show the idea of the mother in the 19th century as being there for their daughters. Though a different type of relationship from what we have seen before it still connects in some ways to what we have read about mother/ daughter relationships.
ReplyDeleteI also picked up on the consequences adding a new dynamic to Sybil and her mother's relationship. It is not a completely new idea that mother figures reach out, but it is a new spin on the situation.
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