SOCIETAL FRAMES OF DISABILITY AND NEUROSIS IN THE SELECT NOVELS OF LISA GENOVA
Sofiya B Reg. No: 2421311022017 Research Scholar of English, Nesamony Memorial Christian College, Marthandam Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli. Dr. T. Subitha Associate Professor and Research Supervisor, Department of English, Nesamony Memorial Christian College, Marthandam Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli. Abstract Society plays a vital role in the growth as well as the destruction of an individual in many ways. People around the world have their own unique ideas and views regarding each and every concept. Likewise, disability is usually portrayed as a deficit of an individual, something other than normal. Neurosis often deals with the mental and emotional disturbances of an individual. Society constructs certain patterns through which people with disability and neurosis are often secluded from others. They should instead be included within a social framework where they are treated as unique beings, rather than being labelled as not ‘normal’. Such societal frames and taboos should be eradicated to improve the living conditions, emotional well-being, and physical health of people with such disorders. This kind of societal frame leads to the social seclusion of an individual and adversely affects their mental and physical health, resulting in a loss of self-confidence and hope. Thus, society and health are closely interlinked with one another in providing better living conditions for people. The paper titled “Societal Frames of Disability and Neurosis in the Select Novels of Lisa Genova” highlights how societal frames and social lenses cause people with disability and neurosis to face challenges of social seclusion, emotional trauma, and physical deformities throughout their lives, and how these conditions can be overcome by individuals. The paper aims to study the societal frames of disability and neurosis through selected novels by Lisa Genova, an American neuroscientist and author. The novels selected for study are Still Alice and Love Anthony. Introduction “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” — Plato As Plato aptly states, the beauty of a thing is largely evaluated based on the opinions or perspectives of others. It varies according to a person’s view. Likewise, disability is a social construct. The term ‘disability’ deals with the physical deformity or mental decline of an individual diagnosed with a disorder. Disability is a word created to denote the medical term “impairment”. Impairment is a person’s attribute rather than a social construct. The use of the term disability fosters various restrictions on people with certain disorders. It leads them to develop a sort of inferiority complex and causes individuals to seclude themselves from society. Such societal frames should be completely eradicated for the welfare of individuals and to support their mental health. As individuals, we should emphasise empathy towards people with impairments by placing ourselves in their position rather than merely expressing sympathy. Being sympathetic towards those with impairments often pushes them towards social seclusion and stress. It leads to emotional trauma and affects an individual’s psyche as society consolidates them into a separate frame labelled ‘disabled’. As a result, they tend to lose trust, confidence, and faith in themselves and slowly lose hope regarding their mental and physical well-being. They begin to develop stress and anxiety about their future without finding possible solutions to face the struggles and challenges of life. It is the duty of each and every individual to cultivate empathy towards affected people so that everyone can understand their real pain, which in turn will help them build faith, courage, and the strength to survive. Lisa Genova, an American neuroscientist turned author, has written six neuro-novels. Each of her novels portrays the lives of people affected by certain neurological disorders and how they struggle to manage their lives and overcome various challenges. Her writings encourage readers to develop empathy towards affected people and also create awareness about rare neurological disorders. The novels selected for the study titled “Societal Frames of Disability and Neurosis in the Select Novels of Lisa Genova” are Still Alice and Love Anthony. These novels depict the destruction experienced by the characters Alice Howland and Anthony due to various societal stigmas and frames imposed upon them in terms of their impairments. The term “neurosis” refers to a person’s impaired ability to answer or respond to social and environmental situations. Neurosis is an outdated term that indicates the stress, anxiety, and depression created due to a disorder or impairment. Society creates barriers for people with impairments. They are not allowed to work in a sector on equal terms with other people whom society considers ‘normal’. People with impairments are treated as unique beings who exist outside socially defined norms. Societal Frames of Disability in Still Alice The central character Alice Howland, from the novel Still Alice, faces this situation in her workplace. She worked as a linguistic professor at Harvard University. After learning about her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, the department head, Eric, asked her to stop visiting Harvard and take a sabbatical year ahead: “I think you probably shouldn’t be teaching anymore, but I’d like to respect your time line. Do you have a plan?” “I’d hoped to stay on for the year… I don’t want to be a bad teacher, Eric. That’s not who I am.” “…How about a medical leave that would take you into your sabbatical year?” (Genova, Still Alice 204–205) Alice, being passionate about her job, attempted several ways to tackle her situation after diagnosis. She tried to recall things by adopting certain tactics and tricks, usually by maintaining a personalised file on her laptop and setting reminders on her mobile phone. Even though she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, she remained confident in her ‘self’ and believed that she could survive with the disorder. However, societal frames altered everything. She started developing fear regarding her identity and often reflected upon Dr. Davis’ words: “You may not be the most reliable source of what’s been going on.” (Genova, Still Alice 83) Even before her colleagues knew about her condition, Alice often thought about the aftermath. She did not want anyone to hate or seclude her, and
