Girl, Interrupted...

As I watched Girl, Interrupted for the second time, I began to look more closely at the role and background of Susanna Kaysen, analyzing the way that the title of the film directly applies to her life. As the film opens, Susanna has reached her breaking point. She has taken a large dose of aspirin in an attempt to end her life before it has really even started. As we look back on her past, we learn that Susanna was the only one in her graduating class that had decided not to attend college the following year. We also learn that she had slept with the husband of a close family friend. Susanna's future was uncertain to both her and to those around her. Her life was in desperate need of some change, some form of interruption that would allow her to put her life on the right track.

To me, the 'Interruption' initially refers to Susanna's failed suicide attempt, followed by her 18 month stay at the Claymore psychiatric institution. After she has been revived and released from the hospital, it is evident that Susanna has been given a second chance at life. The suicide served as her necessary interruption, and her admittance into Claymore is her opportunity to turn her life around and to give it some meaning.

As the plot continues to unfold, we learn that Susanna has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and depression. Claymore is the second 'Interruption' in her life, stemming from the suicide. In this, Susanna is able to find herself and to overcome her many challenges. She finally begins to appreciate life and makes the effort to get better. She finds her relief and voice by writing in her journal. Susanna begins to express what she is feeling, and isn't afraid or reluctant to think about her future.

When Susanna is released from Claymore after 18 months. she is a new person, anxious to begin living for something. She intends to continue her writing, work at a part-time job (for the time being), and live on her own. Therefore, it can be concluded that Susanna's breaking point interrupted her and caused her to rethink the way she had been living her life. She was a 'Girl, Interrupted', that took advantage of an opportunity to change her life for the better, and actually found direction and purpose.