Blog Post #2

According to Albert Einstein, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The Oxford dictionary provides a more broad definition, describing insanity as being seriously mentally ill or irrational. The latter definition is vague, and leaves a lot up to interpretation since irrationality varies from person to person. Einstein’s definition is easier to apply to actual interactions as it is straightforward, perhaps making this definition more realistic. However, I would like to combine these definitions and extend the Oxford definition--in addition to being seriously mentally ill or irrational, an insane person would perform the same actions repeatedly and expect a different result each time.

Mental illness treatment in different countries shows the cultural ideas of insanity. Let us compare the United States and France in terms of mental illness and rehabilitation. An investigation by Ohio State University reported “at least a fifth of all prisoners in the United States have a mental illness of some kind, and between 25 and 40 percent of mentally ill people will be incarcerated at some point in their lives”. In the United States, our main strategy for combating mental illness and insanity is punishment, rather than focusing on recovery. Yet France is quite the opposite; in the early 2000’s, the NCBI performed an observational study with the French General Population and found “insane and mentally people are described as abnormal, irresponsible, unconscious, socially excluded, far from being curable, and to be cured against their will by psychotropic drugs and psychiatric hospitalisation”. In both countries, insane people are easy to distinguish from normal, everyday people. Yet the key difference is France does not attempt to criminalize the insane, and instead recognizes that not all mentally ill people are malicious or want to harm others. Unlike the United States response, the French solution is not only morally sound, but attempts to make the insane feel more rational and incorporated into society.

With this extended definition, one can make the argument that Estragon and Vladimir from Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” are insane. In the first line of the play, Estragon states “Nothing to be done”, which is repeated three more times during the first act of the play (Beckett 2). Repetition of this phrase more than once is unnecessary, and since the same agreement is reached each time, this instance qualifies insanity. Additionally, Estragon and Vladimir constantly question if they are meeting Godot at the correct time and place:

ESTRAGON:
“You're sure it was here?”

VLADIMIR:
“What?”

ESTRAGON:
“That we were to wait”

VLADIMIR:
“He said by the tree” (Beckett 6).

They wait over twenty-four hours for Godot to arrive, but any sane person would think to stop waiting and leave after being told Godot would not arrive two consecutive days in a row; yet they continue to wait expecting different results. The verifiably insane Estragon and Vladimir threaten to leave the tree and return hope, but maintain the same position.

Another instance of insanity is presented when Estragon talks about his previous night’s beating. In the first act of the play, Vladimir asks Estragon about where he spent the night:

VLADIMIR:
“May one inquire where His Highness spent the night?”

ESTRAGON:
“In a ditch”

VLADIMIR:
“A ditch! Where?”

ESTRAGON:
“Over there”

VLADIMIR:
“And they didn't beat you?”

ESTRAGON:
“Beat me? Certainly they beat me” (Beckett 2-3).

Once we realize Estragon has been subjected to abuse, this instills a sense of empathy in the audience. Yet in the second act of the play, he makes the same claim with a clear lack of evidence:

VLADIMIR:
“I wouldn't have let them beat you”

ESTRAGON:
“You couldn't have stopped them”

VLADIMIR:
“Why not?”

ESTRAGON:
“There was ten of them” (Beckett 49).

At this point, it is clear Estragon is a chronic liar--Vladimir spent the entire night with Estragon, and there is no way Estragon could have been beaten without him noticing. Furthermore, Estragon lacks physical injuries or markings from these supposed beatings, proving Estragon suffers from some sort of mental illness that causes him to confuse fantasy with reality. Vladimir blindly believes Estragon’s claims without using any reasoning to deduce validity, showing Vladimir is not sane either.

Combining the Oxford definition of insanity with Einstein’s definition, Vladimir and Estragon are insane. With their constant repetition of statements and wildly false allegations, Vladimir and Estragon would not be classified as sane in America nor in France. However, France’s idea of insanity is more accurate for these two because France would not classify Vladimir or Estragon as criminals like the United States would. Having the play set in France compared to any other country is very important for this distinction, and through this we know we should feel sorry for Estragon and Vladimir rather than feel afraid of them. Analyzing these cultural ideas of insanity adds to our interpretation and awareness of mental illness, and helps normalize a conversation about mental illnesses.