Navigating the volatile parallel of mental illness and womanhood: A feminist interpretation of Meg mason's sorrow and bliss

Abstract

Gender has historically been a significant factor whenever evaluating an individual's mental health, and obtaining the label “mentally ill” throws a person in a downward spiral of stigmas, preconceived notions, and disruptive seclusion. This is true for both men and women, yet there appears to be undue gender bias in the diagnosis of mental illness. This present paper incorporates a unique feminist approach in exploring the crucial circumnavigation a woman happens to go through in her adult life because of the lurking presence of psychological turbulence. The intention is also to intervene in the trajectory of negligence, patronisation and finally, the abandonment she faces on account of the mishandling of her mental health. By including a feminist analysis of the constant struggle and ultimately the breakthrough, Martha, the protagonist achieves, this paper intends to intensify the significance of the conversation surrounding the parallel between mental illness and womanhood. This is a continuation of the literary lineage to identify the misrepresentation women encounter when branded with terms like ‘crazy’ or ‘hysterical’.