tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375071335679640824.post6540266341531943104..comments2023-10-11T06:26:01.345-07:00Comments on American Literature After 1945 Fall 2014: The Life of Neddy Merrill: Dissociative AmnesiaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15859084138187073439noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375071335679640824.post-67300252612252588712014-09-06T15:57:57.652-07:002014-09-06T15:57:57.652-07:00I believe Cheever intended to present Neddy's ...I believe Cheever intended to present Neddy's problems as both pathological and existential. I think many individuals have a predisposition for mental disorders, but only in the right circumstances do we see the effects they have on the human psyche. I think you bring up an amazing point! Many Americans subconsciously alter small details within their own lives to not only create a sense of inclusion within society, but also a sense of success. Conservative, suburban neighborhoods have expectations, many of which are unattainable. It is interesting that the literature is not of this era, but so relavent. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06678324256598451605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375071335679640824.post-27433281985596623622014-09-04T06:43:02.108-07:002014-09-04T06:43:02.108-07:00Katie,
You are asking some really interesting ques...Katie,<br />You are asking some really interesting questions here! I wonder if Cheever intended us to read Neddy's problems as pathological or existential? I think today we are perhaps predisposed to view through a lens of "health" and "pathology," which might in some ways cause us to sidestep some larger existential questions by seeing any aberration simply as a "disorder" or a "disease." I think Cheever might ask us to consider not only whether Neddy has been "enslav[ed] in a false perception of existence" but whether America itself (and specifically middle class Americans living in the suburbs) has dissociative amnesia.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15859084138187073439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375071335679640824.post-42032180954043042822014-09-03T19:48:23.077-07:002014-09-03T19:48:23.077-07:00Well I'm a fan of this writing and Shutter Isl...Well I'm a fan of this writing and Shutter Island and noticed the similar names also. But like in Shutter Island you must ask yourself is it better to remain in your delusion or to be raced with the harshness of your reality? Delusional Amnesia can be a psychological wall built up to protect yourself from the truth of what has happened to you. I think Ned might be better off believing in his lie honestly. Just like at the end of Shutter Island I was proud of Teddy for making the decision to live his life in his delusion rather than face the reality of having mercy killed his wife after she had drowned their children. Obviously something quite terrible must have happened in Ned's life and mind decided that blocking or distorting his memories would be the best possible way for him to continue with life whether or not he agreed. But if his life were in any way as tragic as Teddy's I couldn't possible blame him for wanting to remain this way, for wanting to believe his family life were still strong and his home were still in tact. Sometimes it's easier to live in the lie than face the truth.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12222136218723353667noreply@blogger.com