Summary of “Call Me Crazy, But I Have To Be Myself”
The purpose of this story is to show readers to be themselves, no matter what. The narrator tells a story for her life and how she struggles with a mental-illness by the name of Bi-Polar or sometimes referred to as Manic-Depressive. She explains the hardships of being contained in an institution awaiting to be released back to what she refers to as the normal world. She finally gets her wish and is released into the world. She then is prescribed medication and all types o therapy yet entering the world feeling an imposter, scared to show the world the real her. She fits in easily but feels a sense of sadness, she misses being herself. She wanted the world to know her stories and what she’s gone through and her own interests, she wants to feel again. Finally, she reveals her illness and uses it as a way to help others dealing with the same issues she has. Also, she accepts who she is and enlightens others. In the end she expresses herself and has friends who know the true her, struggles and all, and accept that.
(2) Jen Greselin-Passage Picker & Discussion Director
The purpose of the story is for the narrator to tell about how hard her life is being bipolar, and about how she will get the courage to be herself around everybody. I think that the narrator wanted to tell this story to make people aware of the fact that there really are people with these types of illnesses, and so they could see how they affect them. After reading her story, people might be more sympathetic of these people with these certain illnesses. Some main points that the narrator was trying to get across were that you can’t tell by looking at her that she is bipolar. She looks normal and blends in with everyone else. On page 52, it says that only a few people at work know that she’s a manic-depressant. If she works with these people everyday then you would think that they would know, but they don’t. This is important for people to know, so that they can always keep an open-mind about people. Another point is that it took her two episodes before she was convinced that she was bipolar. On page 52, she said that admitting she had this problem that would affect her for the rest of her life was the hardest thing she’d ever have to do. Another point is that there are some things people can do to manage these moods. On page 52, it says that she goes to therapy, a psychiatrist, uses medication, and inner calibration. It also says that she eats better, gets more sleep, and exercises more often. When bipolar people can help others with similar problems it makes them feel good and helps them to be themselves. Talking and sharing stories helps. Bipolar people want other people to know the truth about them, but they are afraid of people’s reactions. Hiding their secret, however, is often harder than letting it out.
(3) Meghan Earnest – Researcher
“Call me crazy but I have to be myself,” by Mary takes you into the life of a woman living with bipolar disease. In order to understand the narrator you need to understand the disease. Bipolar disease also known as manic-depressive illness is some times characterized by moods that swing between two opposite poles which consists of series of mania (with exaggerated euphoria, or irritability) and then episodes of depression also occur. A person with bipolar disease can expect on average to have around eight to ten episodes of manic or depressive behavior over a lifetime. Symptoms of bipolar disease consist of the following: fatigue or loss of energy, sleep problems, appetite change, inability to concentrate, thoughts or attempts of suicide, and lost of interest and pleasure in life (A.D.A.M. Inc.).
In an article titled, “Should I Tell People?” the author states, “I am myself and I want to be known as myself and not a label.” This is exactly how the narrator in Mary Seymour’s short story feels. She states, “Every now and then, I feel like I’m truly being myself, It’s time for me to own up to who I am call me crazy, but I think it’s the right thing to do.” In the end the narrator decides its better to be honest with yourself then let others define who you are.
*Information from:http://www.healthandage.com/html/well_connected/pdf/doc66.pdf
(4) Shealene Bretz- Icon Crafter
When I read the story, "Call Me Crazy, But I Have to Be Myself", I visualized many feelings that the woman was going through. I could imagine the woman trying to lead a normal life, from taking her child to school to working hard at her job. Knowing that she had a serious illness, I knew that at different parts of her life, she felt differently about her disease. I pictured the woman being happy around others and people she knew, but deep down inside, she felt hurt. She felt hurt that some people don't know about her disease and she may wonder why this has happened to her. Since she feels fortunate to "fit in" with the "normal" crowd, I picture her being a well-rounded person who is mostly happy about her life, but then has some downfalls that may put a burden on her personality. She seems like a very helpful individual who wants people to know about her disease so she can be there for support. Overall, she is a good person who has an unfortunate disease and tries to make every occurrence that happens in her life a positive one.
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