The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness

This theme is communicated consistently in the narrative. By inserting insights into Lori’s deeply-rooted issues of insecurity and identity that derive from the expectations of, and example that, her accomplished and idealized parents articulate from a very early point in the narrative, and consistently peppering the narrative with these insights, Schilling communicates that her illness—while spectacular and extreme—is rooted in the most common and banal human emotions. The pressure to please parents and society, expectations of femininity, and the expectations of presenting a composed and sane face to the world (in order to ultimately be able to contribute quantitatively and qualitatively to society) each exert a deep and almost inescapable pressure on Lori’s psyche. This pressure, combined with genetic and biological aspects, converges to create Lori’s illness. Through the development of this theme, we come to see Lori not as a medical or psychiatric curiosity, but as a relatable human being.