Explain in your own words
In my paper, I would like to explore the connection between the influence of public opinion and the development of the girl’s illness in “Lusus Naturae.” It is essential to draw a line between rare human diseases and supernatural phenomena such as vampirism. When the girl from a wealthy family grew older, a condition was detected that caused her body to change. It is significant to mention that her mother and grandmother were convinced that these transformations were magical and hypothesized that a higher power could have punished them. They were afraid of public condemnation; that is why they concealed their younger daughter and subsequently imitated her death. Consequently, the girl understood the differences in her body from other people, and listening to her relatives’ conversations, she began to believe in her supernaturalness. Accordingly, because of her perception as a monster, the girl psyched herself into this character. Therefore, it is crucial to determine if the parents would not have hidden the girl’s illness but rather tried to cure her, how society perceived it.
Primary Source
Atwood, M. (2014). Lusus Naturae. McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories.
Research Questions
- Why is the appearance of physical vampirism related to the girl’s psychic state?
- Why did society contribute to the girl’s transformation into a vampire?
- Where does the line between natural and supernatural pass in the girl’s self-perceived condition?
My Argument
The parents’ desire to preserve the reputation of an almost noble family forced them to conceal their daughter’s condition. The girl said that “On daystimes I stayed shut up in my darkened room: I was getting beyond a joke,” which contributed to the oppression of her mental state. Subsequently, due to her body’s transformation, the doctor and relatives began to treat the girl as a vampire, which provoked her to perceive herself as a supernatural creature “Dead people can’t see their own reflections; I could not see myself.” Thus, the boundary between a vampire and a human depends on the perception of the girl’s illness.