Insanity and Godot

The official definition of insanity, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, can be defined as “a severely disordered state of the mind usually ocurring as a specific disorder” or the “unsoundness of mind or lack of the ability to understand that prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or that releases one from criminal or civil responsibility.”

While that is the official definition, another definition has been popularized in our modern culture that has been falsely mis-attributed to famous figures such as Albert Einstein or Benjamin Franklin: “the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over again and expecting a different result.” This is the definition that has been popularized through pop culture and mutlimedia. It is often featured in our favorite movies, TV shows, and books, leading watchers and readers to believe that it is, in fact the official and nationally accepted definition. It has become the cultural definition of insanity, unique to our own society and culture and has most likely reached other corners of the world. We, as a society, often hear this definition since it has been popularized so much, but it is actually an incorrect definition of insanity. Despite it being officially incorrect, modern culture and society has come to accept this definition, so it can be said that, within our culture, we have developed a second definition for the term that has a unique meaning depending on context since it is so widely accepted and used.

According to the popularized cultural definiton of insanity, the simple act of repeating mistakes defines insanity, but I believe this claim is actually insane because it implies that even if the goal is impossible, trying different methods to attain that goal makes the process sane. I believe that if the goal is impossible, doing anything and trying multiple methods to continually achieve failure is insane. When someone knows that something is impossible and they still continually try to acheive it is, I believe, a form of insanity. There is also the belief that in order to meet the requirements of insanity, people must actually be insane and have certain mental illnesses and that also speaks true to the opposite that people without any measurable mental illnesses are completely sane, but, if we look at these perspectives with the popularized definition in mind, we see that this too is insane. People can do insane and crazy things without having mental illnesses, so the conventional standards for insanity do not necessarily convey insanity as we understand it.

The official definition, unlike the popularized saying, is a term that is not necessarily used in colloquial or everyday conversation. When people call others insane, they are actually using it in a sense that is more relatable to the definitions of stupidity or idiocy. Insanity is actually a legal distinction not a medical one. The official definition of insane carries with it a legal presence in that it can only really be used in a legal standing when judgement is being presented upon a person. It determines a person’s legal state of mind and determinese the guilt or innocence of their actions. Despite most people’s assumptions it is never used in the medical field as it encompasses a wide variety of illnesses and is now an outdated term within the medical world.

In Waiting for Godot we see how Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot each day, hoping that they will finally meet their friend, but continually failing to do so as Godot never shows up once and often cancels the meeting. As the readers, we see how Vladimir and Estragon meet up and wait for Godot everyday, fulfilling the popularized, cultural definition of insanity. They do the same thing everyday and expect for the results to be different each time. The setting shows how time is passing around them but the two characters are obviously oblivious to everything that goes on around them. They are completely concentrating on their mission to wait for a friend that may be nonexistent. We also see how Vladimir and Estragon always seem to meet up with each other at the exact same spot every single time. They also seem to do the same things and have the same arguments in each encounter. Adding on the the insane vibes, they also seem to reset each day, not really remembering what happened before and sort of just repeating themselves on loop. According to our cultural definition of insanity these two are definitely crazy and can even be seen as the epitome of insanity.

Insanity Vs. Instability in A Streetcar Named Desire

           In Tennessee Williams drama, A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois abrupt accusation of being raped by Stanley results in her being committed to an insane asylum. There doesn’t seem to be a valid medical reason as to why Blanche was emitted to an asylum other than her absence being convenient for her sister, Stella. When discussing her sister being sent away Stella states, “I couldn't believe her story and go on living with Stanley.” The question, “Is Blanche insane?” is brought into question as her past is unveiled. Blanche first appears to be a mature and protective sister who seems genuinely concerned about her sister's safety due to her being in an abusive relationship. However, she may be categorized as being insane based off of her actions and speech. Considering the cultural background within the drama insanity does not accurately describe Blanche’s character, her consistent nature of lying in order to reconstruct the life she had as a young woman reflects an unreliable character. Blanche is not insane she is an unstable individual attempting to survive in the reality she is apart of. The definitions of insane and unstable must be addressed to unveil why Blanche is unstable and not insane. 

           The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines the word insanity as, “The condition of being insane; unsoundness of mind as a consequence of brain-disease, madness, lunacy. Originally called insanity of mind.” (OED) Based off of this definition and the ambiguity of Blanche being professionally diagnosed with a medical brain-disease, she is not insane. An extended definition of insanity is, “Extreme folly or want of sound sense.”(OED) This extended definition disregards the cause of insanity deriving from any form of mental illness while narrowing the meaning of insanity to be the mental state of being foolish or being deficient in understanding. When considering this definition as well as the first Blanche is not insane, because she is conscious of the world and her interactions with the people she is surrounded by.  Although Blanche discusses how she wishes she was not living in her reality her ability to make the distinction between reality and her preferred reality proves she is not insane or mentally-ill. As Blanche and Mitch are spending time together she sheds light on why she constantly lies, “I don’t want realism. I want magic! [Mitch laughs] Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!” (9.43) Blanche acknowledges that she fabricates truths depending on who she is talking to construct a magic type reality she yearns for. Blanche is an unstable character because she does not rely on one set of lies to fabricate her reality, she fabricates any lie(s) in order to feel apart of her desired reality. She has lied to the point of not knowing 

            Considering the background cultural issues such as gender, sex, and physical abuse Blanche lying and deceiving nature is not a form of insanity but rather a mode of survival in attempt to convince herself she can live in the reality she is attempting to construct herself. With Blanche losing the family plantation, being fired from her job, and having her ex-husband being a homosexual and killing himself, the stable life she was meant to have disappeared. The instability in her life extends to Blanche attempting to replicate her old life of being a wealthy, successful, and a married women. Both Blanche and Stella’s identity is dependent on their romantic relationships, reflecting the cultural background. When Stanley first hits Stella the tension among characters and within the narrative unwinds when physical altercations between spouses even between Eunice and her husband are normalized. Blanche is thrown into a reality where she must function with a husband (even if that husband is abusive) therefor is lies about having a rich boyfriend in order to pursue Stella in potentially leaving Stanley. Blanche is left no other choice but to adapt in a world that she herself is no longer apart of. Blanche is not mentally insane because she does not have a diagnosed brain-disease, she is unstable because she constantly lies in order to replicate a life in which is thrived in. Blanche is well aware of the lies she needs to tell in order to construct her dream like reality, if she didn't not know the distinction between both realities then she would have been insane.

Insanity: Blanche and the Ideal Woman

        According to the merriam webster dictionary, insanity connects to disorder of the mind and lack of mental understanding. However, a definition cannot fully express the characteristics of insanity because those who are insane are not all the same. A person is driven to insanity through experiences, and everyone has their own unique experiences throughout life. For the character Blanche, the initial discovery of her late husband’s sexuality drove her to insanity. Blanche discovers in “A Streetcar Named Desire” that her husband was gay, and this filled her with rage and hatred towards him. However, when he takes his own life because of the disgust she expressed towards him, Blanche’s once sane mind begins to unravel. Once part of a wealthy family, she loses the family’s estate, and must move in with her sister. However, before moving, Blanche had an affair with an under-aged student. This act captures how Blanche was no longer in her right state of mind after the death of her husband. In attempt to keep up the act of the “ideal woman”, Blanche wears fancy attire and criticizes her sister’s lifestyle. 

            Blanche is obsessed with being accepted by men, and criticizes those who are not “ideal”, such as Stanley. She wants to be seen as an “ideal woman” with money, youth, and intelligence. This idea also captures the obedience of women of the 1940s, and how they were expected to present themselves in a specific way, and stay at home to care for children, while the men went to work. She masks herself in dim lights to hide her real age, and wears expensive clothes from her past to create the illusion that her family still has money. This idea of being the “ideal woman” is embedded in her head because she is self-conscious, and questioning of whether she is good enough for another man, after discovering her husband was gay. By presenting herself as this youthful, grand woman, she is able to capture the attention of many men. However, her past catches up to her, as Stanley discovers her secrets and drives her to mentally break after he rapes her. The rape within this play captures how although she creates the illusion that she has power, money, and beauty, she is actually defenseless, helpless, and dependent of others because of her past mistakes. It is discovered that in her past not only did she have relations with a young boy, but she also had affairs with many men because she needed the reconciliation that she is “good enough” for men. 

            Blanche lacks the confidence to create a better life for herself because she has been mentally scarred by her past. Blanche is insane because she has created this fantasy world for herself, in which she believes she is still a successful woman. She is unable to understand that she is depending on her sister and Stanley, whereas Stanley is capable of seeing through her fantasy world. The rape scene also plays the role in breaking down that fantasy world, and presenting to Blanche the real world she lives in. The play was written in 1947, around the time of the second World War, a time in which women were fighting for more job opportunities. However, after the war, many women were expected to return to their roles as stay-at-home wives. This idealization is captured through Stella, and the superiority Stanley has over her. Stanley rapes Blanche in order to make her feel powerless, like the women who were forced to stay at home. This extraction of power drives Blanche to insanity because she feels defeated by man, and worthless. 

            The aspect of the stay-at-home wife affects the women at this time by making them feel dependent on their husbands, and men. This is clear through the character Blanche because she depends on men’s approval through sex, and admiration. However, when she is defeated by Stanley, who doesn’t approve of her past, and violates her, she is left defenseless, and mentally broken. This captures how the women of the time period felt. Blanche makes rash decisions that cost her her freedom in the end because she doesn’t have the mental ability to explain her past actions, or understand why her actions were wrong. If she had the ability to explain that she needed the approval of men because her husband cheated on her, and ended his life, then she wouldn’t be thought of as insane being that she would know the reasons for her actions. However, since she is unable to defend herself, she loses her mental stability, and is presented as an insane character.

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