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Paradox
Explanation and Analysis—A Refuge, A Prison:
In Chapter 23, Kaysen uses the following paradox to describe her time at McLean:
For many of us, the hospital was as much a refuge as it was a prison. Though we were cut off from the world and all the trouble we enjoyed stirring up out there, we were also cut off from the demands and expectations that had driven us crazy. What could be expected of us now that we were stowed away in a loony bin? The hospital shielded us from all sorts of things. We’d tell the staff to refuse phone calls or visits from anyone we didn't want to talk to, including our parents.
The paradox here is the idea of McLean being both a "refuge" and a "prison," as a refuge is a place of peace and safety while a prison is a place of fear and control. By describing the hospital in this way, Kaysen is communicating that the hospital's impact was complex; while it offered protection for patients struggling with their mental health, it also often exacerbated their difficulties by dehumanizing them and stripping them of freedoms. The patients are protected because they're under close watch, but they're also cut off from the outside world and feel powerless.
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