Veronica decides to die :: essays research papers

Veronika Decides to Die Paul CoelhoPlot SummaryIn his brilliant novel about the aftermath of a young charwoman s suicideattempt,Paulo Coelho explores three perennial themesconformity,madness,and death.Twenty-four-year-old Veronika li es inSlovenia,one of the republics created by the dissolution ofYugoslavia.She works as a librarian by day,and by night carries onlike many single women --dating men,occasionally sleeping withthem,and returning to a single room she rents at a convent.It is a intent,but not a very compelling one.So one day,Veronika decides toend it.Her failed attempt,and her inexplicable reasons for wantingto die,land her in a mental hospital,Vilette.Veronika s disappointment at having sur i ed suicide is palpable.She imagines the restof her life filled with disillusionment and monotony,and vows not to leave Vilette alive.Much to her surprise,however,she learns that a fate she desires awaits her anywayShe is destined to die within a week s time,of a heart damage caused by her suicideattempt.Gradually,this knowledge changes Veronika s perception of death and life.In the meantime,Vilette s head head-shrinker attempts a fascinating but provocativeexperiment.Can you "shock"someone into wanting to live by convincing her that deathis imminent?Like a desexualise applying defibrillator paddles to a heart attack victim,Dr.Igor s "prognosis"jump-starts Veronika s new appreciation of the world around her.From within Vilette s controlled environment,she finally allows herself to express theemotions she has never allowed herself to feelhate and love,anger and joy,disgustand pleasure.Veronika also finds herself being drawn into the li es of other patientswho lead constrained but oddly satisfying li es.Eduard,Zedka,and Mari shoot beensent to Vilette because there doesn t seem to be any other place for them.Theirfamilies don t understand them,and they can t adjust to the friendly structure that doesn ttolerate their individuality.Each of thes e patients reflects on Veronika s situation in hisor her own flash of epiphany,exposing new desire and fresh vision for life that liesoutside the asylum s walls.Vilette is an asylum in the purest sense of the worda place of protection,where one isshielded from danger.In this case the danger is society.Those who refuse to need