#kopfstand

Before I start I am well aware of Plath's horrible traits and her usage of the n-word in TBJ (or in general) but for the sake of this little rant, let's acknowledge that the book was a product of its time. (1963) of course, I am not excusing Sylvia's shit. I should also mention that I do not understand German well and all my understanding is based on subtitles.

Anyways,

I feel like aside from the obvious usage of electroshock therapy and showing the cruelty of a mental hospital, these two have a lot in common, particularly, Esther and Markus; or their situation.

In kopfstand, Markus ends up in the hospital after what I'd like to call, "playing dumb" in front of the police to avoid going to jail. While Esther ends up there for suicide attempt. The Bell Jar is about depression or well, how it feels to be depressed and kopfstand, well, aside from being about a hella emotionally neglected teen, was about the stuff that went down in mental institutions. But I can't help but feel that kopfstand, in some small ways, was also about "the bell jar" (Plath's metaphor for depression.)

at the beginning Markus swears up and down with the psychiatrist that there's nothing wrong with him. But one line in particular, made me think something was indeed "wrong".

In the first or second meeting with the psychiatrist, Markus is asked if he's has depression and he responds with something along the lines of "We're all depressed. Aren't you?"

I'm not sure, but as someone who's also used that line with her therapist, I've been told that not all people are depressed. Lol

Kopfstand (1981)