In “Normal Again”, and The Turn of the Screw, there is an overwhelming feeling of loneliness. The doctor in “Normal Again” informs Buffy and her parents that she has created this fantasy to have a place in which she is the central figure surrounded by amazing friends and going on crazy adventures. He addresses the central aspect of humanity. People are defined by their connections to other people. For example, a person is only poor because there people richer than they. Most people thrive off their relationships with people, whether family, friends, or lovers. Buffy is an inherently lonely person and as any person who has ever felt lonely, it is wonderful to imagine a place where you are the most important person in the room.
In class, a question was brought up: whether the governess in The Turn of the Screw is simply crazy and has made up the ghosts. If read from that point of view, the governess could be seen as the loneliest person. Loneliness (a theme that the gothic loves to explore) could drive a person mad. The governess is in love with her employer who does not even acknowledge her existence. She is alone in a large estate with only another woman and two children. She could have completely made up the ghosts in her mind to force the children to become closer to her and free herself from her crushing loneliness, like the other Buffy in “Normal Again”. United against a common fear, the governess tries to convince the children to trust only her and it gives her an excuse to be with them at all times.
It is such a terrifying thought to be totally alone that most people and possibly Buffy and the governess would rather choose madness. Whether they are actually living out their delusions is a different question. I feel for both Buffy and the governess and I prefer the end of "Normal Again" to that of The Turn of the Screw because Buffy is left with friends, rather than the governess who is once again completely alone.
You make a really interesting point about The Turn of the Screw and "Normal Again." They both play with the human fear of loneliness. Everyone, no matter what age, sex, or ethnicity is afraid of being alone in the world. After all, we are social creatures. I like your theory that the governess in the turn of the screw may have made up the presence of the ghosts (or used their actual presence) to her advantage. "Normal Again" addresses similar issues as well. I agree that the ending in "Normal Again" is much more comforting. I believe that it doesn't really matter whether the governess and Buffy are mad in their respective works. All that matters, is that these works force us to realize how horrific loneliness is to all people.
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