Neufeld, John. Lisa, Bright and Dark. New York: Signet Books, 1969.
This is about Lisa Sheffield, 16 years old who suffers a mental breakdown. It is about the daily dairy of observing the onset and progress of mental illness in an American teenager. The novel unfurls through the voice of her friend, Betsy Goodman, admittedly a very minor character in the whole narrative. Betsy studies in the same school as Lisa and is a friend of Mary Nell, who is closely associated with Lisa. So, the story that is opening out before the readers is through a character who is hearing from Mary and then seeing Lisa as a third party in the school. Mary Nell is admired by everyone, including Betsy. Another girl who is very popular in school is Elizabeth Frazer. Brian Morris is the cutest boy in the class and he is in love with Lisa. But, Lisa's wayward behaviour during her illness breaks the relationship. In the beginning of the narrative itself, we hear Lisa speaking to her parents in front of Mary, that she suspects she is going crazy because she is hearing voices in her head. Her parents think this is yet another one of her ploys to gain attention and is least bothered. One day at a party, Lisa suddenly goes away from the crowd and when her boyfriend Brian tries to come to her she rebuffs him. But, she returns after 10 minutes and everyone forgets the incident. Only when Lisa actually is seen cutting herself after the class does the school counsellor, Bernstein, get involved. At his insistence, the parents send her off on a vacation. But, this does not help lisa.
Betsy notices that Lisa had good days and bad days and it could be seen in her clothes. This is the basis of the title of the novel, Lisa Bright and Dark. After she comes back from the vacation, which was a visit to a clinic, Lisa sunk back more into her dark mood. One day she could not give answer to a question in calculus and she goes near the teacher and whispers in her ears the answer. This makes everyone notice that she was not normal.
Betsy describes the fear that everyone felt around Lisa. The friends would ignore her in her dark moods and be with her in her bright ones. But, she is angry with the school authorities who ignored Lisa's symptoms, though she herself felt fear and kept away.
There is a kind of relationship between Elizabeth and Lisa that keeps developing in the narrative. At one point, Betsy notices that Lisa was following Elizabeth around and the latter was ignoring her. Later she says that it was only Elizabeth who was not afraid of Lisa.When Mary and Betsy offer their help to Lisa (after failing to warn Lisa's family about the situation), Lisa herself suggests Elizabeth's name as someone who will understand. Elizabeth, though, comes out as extremely cold when Mary and Betsy confronts her with a demand for help. She joins them but is always critical and at a distance. She doesnt even look concerned for Lisa.
Also, Lisa’s actions could not be explained in anyway. She attacks Elizabeth once and the others could barely save her. Betsy understands that Elizabeth had a strange understanding of Lisa and guessed that she also would have suffered the same problems.
The only glimpse the outsiders get of Lisa’s inner world is through her words. She is very reticent of sharing it too. The fact that everyone remembers is the English world that she builds inside her head. If Lisa speaks with an English accent, then the girls understood that trouble was brewing.
Another interesting angle is the growth of Betsy as a person. She thinks she has only one ambition – to marry someone and live near a beach. Whereas, Mary Nell was ambitious and had leadership qualities. Elizabeth was arrogant and again had the quality of being an important person. Yet, Lisa chooses to trust Betsy because of she would understand her through her feeling rather than her head. Also, the narrative looks at the competition between the girls as a subtext, though the concentration is on their camaraderie.
One day, Lisa walks through the glass-paned door in Betsy’s house in front of her father Mr. Goodman. It is symbolic of Lisa’s final plunge into the world of mental illness and is rightly interpreted by everyone present as a desperate cry for help. But, Mrs. Shilling does not heed inspite of this. We realize that she is just refusing to see truth since it might call into question her own parenting of Lisa.
At this point, Betsy is introduced to Neil Donovan by Elizabeth and she immediately develops a crush on him.
This is about Lisa Sheffield, 16 years old who suffers a mental breakdown. It is about the daily dairy of observing the onset and progress of mental illness in an American teenager. The novel unfurls through the voice of her friend, Betsy Goodman, admittedly a very minor character in the whole narrative. Betsy studies in the same school as Lisa and is a friend of Mary Nell, who is closely associated with Lisa. So, the story that is opening out before the readers is through a character who is hearing from Mary and then seeing Lisa as a third party in the school. Mary Nell is admired by everyone, including Betsy. Another girl who is very popular in school is Elizabeth Frazer. Brian Morris is the cutest boy in the class and he is in love with Lisa. But, Lisa's wayward behaviour during her illness breaks the relationship. In the beginning of the narrative itself, we hear Lisa speaking to her parents in front of Mary, that she suspects she is going crazy because she is hearing voices in her head. Her parents think this is yet another one of her ploys to gain attention and is least bothered. One day at a party, Lisa suddenly goes away from the crowd and when her boyfriend Brian tries to come to her she rebuffs him. But, she returns after 10 minutes and everyone forgets the incident. Only when Lisa actually is seen cutting herself after the class does the school counsellor, Bernstein, get involved. At his insistence, the parents send her off on a vacation. But, this does not help lisa.
Betsy notices that Lisa had good days and bad days and it could be seen in her clothes. This is the basis of the title of the novel, Lisa Bright and Dark. After she comes back from the vacation, which was a visit to a clinic, Lisa sunk back more into her dark mood. One day she could not give answer to a question in calculus and she goes near the teacher and whispers in her ears the answer. This makes everyone notice that she was not normal.
Betsy describes the fear that everyone felt around Lisa. The friends would ignore her in her dark moods and be with her in her bright ones. But, she is angry with the school authorities who ignored Lisa's symptoms, though she herself felt fear and kept away.
There is a kind of relationship between Elizabeth and Lisa that keeps developing in the narrative. At one point, Betsy notices that Lisa was following Elizabeth around and the latter was ignoring her. Later she says that it was only Elizabeth who was not afraid of Lisa.When Mary and Betsy offer their help to Lisa (after failing to warn Lisa's family about the situation), Lisa herself suggests Elizabeth's name as someone who will understand. Elizabeth, though, comes out as extremely cold when Mary and Betsy confronts her with a demand for help. She joins them but is always critical and at a distance. She doesnt even look concerned for Lisa.
Also, Lisa’s actions could not be explained in anyway. She attacks Elizabeth once and the others could barely save her. Betsy understands that Elizabeth had a strange understanding of Lisa and guessed that she also would have suffered the same problems.
The only glimpse the outsiders get of Lisa’s inner world is through her words. She is very reticent of sharing it too. The fact that everyone remembers is the English world that she builds inside her head. If Lisa speaks with an English accent, then the girls understood that trouble was brewing.
Another interesting angle is the growth of Betsy as a person. She thinks she has only one ambition – to marry someone and live near a beach. Whereas, Mary Nell was ambitious and had leadership qualities. Elizabeth was arrogant and again had the quality of being an important person. Yet, Lisa chooses to trust Betsy because of she would understand her through her feeling rather than her head. Also, the narrative looks at the competition between the girls as a subtext, though the concentration is on their camaraderie.
One day, Lisa walks through the glass-paned door in Betsy’s house in front of her father Mr. Goodman. It is symbolic of Lisa’s final plunge into the world of mental illness and is rightly interpreted by everyone present as a desperate cry for help. But, Mrs. Shilling does not heed inspite of this. We realize that she is just refusing to see truth since it might call into question her own parenting of Lisa.
At this point, Betsy is introduced to Neil Donovan by Elizabeth and she immediately develops a crush on him.
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