Stella Maris

In Stella Maris, Alicia emerges as a complex character, a former child prodigy whose trajectory takes a rebellious turn into the realm of rogue mathematics. The narrative unfolds in the autumn of 1972, when the 20-year-old protagonist voluntarily admits herself to a private psychiatric clinic in Wisconsin. Alicia encapsulates a multitude of psychological and philosophical intricacies—synesthesia, schizophrenia, autism, anorexia, nihilism, and relentless suicidal ideation that, inevitably, will prevail. She emerges as a tragic genius, navigating the complexities of her mind with a sense of hopelessness that adds a somber layer to her brilliance. Intricately woven into her intricate character is an unconventional love, as she harbors romantic feelings for her brother and rejects anyone who considers this an inviolable taboo. Despite her internal turmoil, Alicia possesses exceptional talents in philosophy, mathematics, and music. McCarthy paints her as not only intellectually gifted but also physically captivating, with Dr. Cohen describing her as “extremely good looking” (43).

Through Alicia, McCarthy explores the human need for meaning and the potentially devastating consequences that can arise when people lose their faith in a meaningful existence.

Throughout her interviews with Dr. Cohen, Alicia articulates her initial fervor for mathematics, a language tool introduced by her father as a metaphorical lens for comprehending the intricacies of the world: “I understood—really understood—that the equations were not a supposition of the form whose life was confined to the symbols on the page which described them, but they were there before my eyes.