![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pullmarine on October 14, 2000, at 23:38:33
The lady who laughed at everything
Nothing frightened her more than death, and she had decided very early on that she would go stark raving mad way before her time would come. She was quite candid about her fear of dying and wish for madness, and often she told her friends and relatives: 'before I die, I will go mad and find everything funny. By the time death comes to my door, I will be laughing incessantly, utterly unaware of any reality around me.'The madness began gradually, with a small giggle after minor a car accident. That evening, she occasionally sniggered and giggled while explaining the incident to her family. The giggling was mild and went largely unnoticed, and in fact, her relatives giggled along with her, not quite knowing what was so funny other than their mother giggling.
Gradually though, the giggling got worse. And at first, her relatives were happy that she was so full of cheer, though they couldn't figure out what she found so funny. But a few months after the car accident, she found herself desperately trying to suppress her laughter at her best friend's funeral as the coffin was being lowered into the cold ground. Fortunately, her attempt at suppressing her laughter made it sound like hysterical crying and did not degenerate into guffaws.
But then a week later, her husband was diagnosed with cancer, and when the doctor broke the news that it wass too late to do anything, she exploded with laughter. At first, her reaction was considered a normal response to the shock of the news, but she truly could not stop laughing to the point where she had to take sleeping pills to sleep that night.
She woke up the next day in her chirpy mood, though the rest of the household was somber. That evening, her husband, quite confounded asked her if she still loved him which sent her into gaffaws, and that's when he first noticed that something was seriously wrong.
From that moment on, things truly deteriorated. She'd laugh at the news as the announcer spoke about children dying in local hospitals, she'd laugh at the commercials. she'd laugh at the weather report, and laugh at wars, droughts and famines throughout the globe. She could no longer cook, clean, shower, as everything around her seemed more and more funny, and her relatives would often find her laughing on the floor withn difficulty breathing. The truly sad thing was, that the more horrible the news or event, and the more graphic the images, the more her laughter was loud and uncontrollable. Communication with her had become impossible.
Her relatives finally took her to see a neurologist, and told him how she had planned her madness, and her laughter at the horrors of world we live in. The doctor proceeded to examine her. He asked her how she was. She responed with laughter. 'Do you know today's date?' More laughter. 'Can you tell me what do you find funny?' he asked. She tried to reply but broke into laughter again, tears running down her cheeks. 'How long have you felt this way?' he inquired. This question sent her hyperventilating with laughter on the floor of his office. He knew very well that she could be treated with neuroleptics, but he chose to let her be. Instead, he told her relatives that she was terribly ill and recommended hospitalization.
She spent the rest of her life in a psychiatric hospital, laughing and giggling at the walls, the patients, the nurses, the doctors, the pills and the bedpans, and when death finally did come to claim her, she was still laughing in its face, utterly unaware of the reality of her situation.
Questions for discussion:Did she choose and navigate her laughing madness ....
Was the doctor irresponsible?
Was choosing to let her be an abrogation of his oath?
Was it immoral to leave her untreaded?
Posted by Rzip on October 15, 2000, at 5:54:45
In reply to The Lady Who Laughed at Everything, posted by pullmarine on October 14, 2000, at 23:38:33
> Everyone deserves a chance to die successfully and peacefully. The lady who laughed to absolve her fear and anxiety of death was obvious happy with the choice that she made. I think the doctors and everyone involved in her care were right in respecting her wishes. I think the lady started her laughing madness, and then the mind eventually took over the body and continued its organism's natural course of descent into madness and eventual death.
I really enjoyed the story by the way. Thanks.
Rzip
The lady who laughed at everything
>
>
> Nothing frightened her more than death, and she had decided very early on that she would go stark raving mad way before her time would come. She was quite candid about her fear of dying and wish for madness, and often she told her friends and relatives: 'before I die, I will go mad and find everything funny. By the time death comes to my door, I will be laughing incessantly, utterly unaware of any reality around me.'
>
> The madness began gradually, with a small giggle after minor a car accident. That evening, she occasionally sniggered and giggled while explaining the incident to her family. The giggling was mild and went largely unnoticed, and in fact, her relatives giggled along with her, not quite knowing what was so funny other than their mother giggling.
>
> Gradually though, the giggling got worse. And at first, her relatives were happy that she was so full of cheer, though they couldn't figure out what she found so funny. But a few months after the car accident, she found herself desperately trying to suppress her laughter at her best friend's funeral as the coffin was being lowered into the cold ground. Fortunately, her attempt at suppressing her laughter made it sound like hysterical crying and did not degenerate into guffaws.
>
> But then a week later, her husband was diagnosed with cancer, and when the doctor broke the news that it wass too late to do anything, she exploded with laughter. At first, her reaction was considered a normal response to the shock of the news, but she truly could not stop laughing to the point where she had to take sleeping pills to sleep that night.
>
> She woke up the next day in her chirpy mood, though the rest of the household was somber. That evening, her husband, quite confounded asked her if she still loved him which sent her into gaffaws, and that's when he first noticed that something was seriously wrong.
>
> From that moment on, things truly deteriorated. She'd laugh at the news as the announcer spoke about children dying in local hospitals, she'd laugh at the commercials. she'd laugh at the weather report, and laugh at wars, droughts and famines throughout the globe. She could no longer cook, clean, shower, as everything around her seemed more and more funny, and her relatives would often find her laughing on the floor withn difficulty breathing. The truly sad thing was, that the more horrible the news or event, and the more graphic the images, the more her laughter was loud and uncontrollable. Communication with her had become impossible.
>
> Her relatives finally took her to see a neurologist, and told him how she had planned her madness, and her laughter at the horrors of world we live in. The doctor proceeded to examine her. He asked her how she was. She responed with laughter. 'Do you know today's date?' More laughter. 'Can you tell me what do you find funny?' he asked. She tried to reply but broke into laughter again, tears running down her cheeks. 'How long have you felt this way?' he inquired. This question sent her hyperventilating with laughter on the floor of his office. He knew very well that she could be treated with neuroleptics, but he chose to let her be. Instead, he told her relatives that she was terribly ill and recommended hospitalization.
>
> She spent the rest of her life in a psychiatric hospital, laughing and giggling at the walls, the patients, the nurses, the doctors, the pills and the bedpans, and when death finally did come to claim her, she was still laughing in its face, utterly unaware of the reality of her situation.
>
>
> Questions for discussion:
>
> Did she choose and navigate her laughing madness ....
> Was the doctor irresponsible?
> Was choosing to let her be an abrogation of his oath?
> Was it immoral to leave her untreaded?
>
Posted by shar on October 16, 2000, at 11:32:36
In reply to The Lady Who Laughed at Everything, posted by pullmarine on October 14, 2000, at 23:38:33
I don't understand. This has gone into that portion of my brain where I think "Wow, I don't get this at all." It is so interesting because it just sort of whirls around in my head, bounces off my gray matter, twinkles at my synapses, and then it's gone.
Shar
> The lady who laughed at everything
>
>
> Nothing frightened her more than death, and she had decided very early on that she would go stark raving mad way before her time would come. She was quite candid about her fear of dying and wish for madness, and often she told her friends and relatives: 'before I die, I will go mad and find everything funny. By the time death comes to my door, I will be laughing incessantly, utterly unaware of any reality around me.'
>
> The madness began gradually, with a small giggle after minor a car accident. That evening, she occasionally sniggered and giggled while explaining the incident to her family. The giggling was mild and went largely unnoticed, and in fact, her relatives giggled along with her, not quite knowing what was so funny other than their mother giggling.
>
> Gradually though, the giggling got worse. And at first, her relatives were happy that she was so full of cheer, though they couldn't figure out what she found so funny. But a few months after the car accident, she found herself desperately trying to suppress her laughter at her best friend's funeral as the coffin was being lowered into the cold ground. Fortunately, her attempt at suppressing her laughter made it sound like hysterical crying and did not degenerate into guffaws.
>
> But then a week later, her husband was diagnosed with cancer, and when the doctor broke the news that it wass too late to do anything, she exploded with laughter. At first, her reaction was considered a normal response to the shock of the news, but she truly could not stop laughing to the point where she had to take sleeping pills to sleep that night.
>
> She woke up the next day in her chirpy mood, though the rest of the household was somber. That evening, her husband, quite confounded asked her if she still loved him which sent her into gaffaws, and that's when he first noticed that something was seriously wrong.
>
> From that moment on, things truly deteriorated. She'd laugh at the news as the announcer spoke about children dying in local hospitals, she'd laugh at the commercials. she'd laugh at the weather report, and laugh at wars, droughts and famines throughout the globe. She could no longer cook, clean, shower, as everything around her seemed more and more funny, and her relatives would often find her laughing on the floor withn difficulty breathing. The truly sad thing was, that the more horrible the news or event, and the more graphic the images, the more her laughter was loud and uncontrollable. Communication with her had become impossible.
>
> Her relatives finally took her to see a neurologist, and told him how she had planned her madness, and her laughter at the horrors of world we live in. The doctor proceeded to examine her. He asked her how she was. She responed with laughter. 'Do you know today's date?' More laughter. 'Can you tell me what do you find funny?' he asked. She tried to reply but broke into laughter again, tears running down her cheeks. 'How long have you felt this way?' he inquired. This question sent her hyperventilating with laughter on the floor of his office. He knew very well that she could be treated with neuroleptics, but he chose to let her be. Instead, he told her relatives that she was terribly ill and recommended hospitalization.
>
> She spent the rest of her life in a psychiatric hospital, laughing and giggling at the walls, the patients, the nurses, the doctors, the pills and the bedpans, and when death finally did come to claim her, she was still laughing in its face, utterly unaware of the reality of her situation.
>
>
> Questions for discussion:
>
> Did she choose and navigate her laughing madness ....
> Was the doctor irresponsible?
> Was choosing to let her be an abrogation of his oath?
> Was it immoral to leave her untreaded?
>
Posted by Nibor on October 17, 2000, at 7:47:33
In reply to The Lady Who Laughed at Everything, posted by pullmarine on October 14, 2000, at 23:38:33
What an interesting puzzle! Did you make this story up? Is is for a class?
Well, I'm the one who always tries to fix things, the one who says, "Oh not, that's not the way the movie should end. This is what should happen....."
So, here's what I think should happen: The doctor fixes the woman and gets her to a "normal" thinking state, tells her what was going on, maybe even shows her some video...then lets her decide whether she wants to go back, sort of like a Living Will kind of pre-directive.
Because, just like the saying "Be careful what you wish for..." maybe the woman would like to reevaluate her position.
Nibor
>
> Questions for discussion:
>
> Did she choose and navigate her laughing madness ....
> Was the doctor irresponsible?
> Was choosing to let her be an abrogation of his oath?
> Was it immoral to leave her untreaded?
>
Posted by Rzip on October 17, 2000, at 17:31:43
In reply to The Lady Who Laughed at Everything, posted by pullmarine on October 14, 2000, at 23:38:33
> Pullmarine,
I am interested in hearing your taking on the story. How do you perceive it?
I sort of see the story as one of those techniques professionals use to gauge your mood at the moment. You know, like in a I.Q. test or something.
I read the story again, and since I think I am feeling better (I might be fooling myself)... I gauge my state of mind on how focused and productive I am at studying. Anyway, I read the story again and here is my retake...
The subject looked upon laughter as a mean of relieving stress. Too bad, she looked upon the defense mechanism (laughter, in this case) in extreme, and no one was supportive enough to "knock" her out of it. It is a tragic story.
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Posted by pullmarine on October 17, 2000, at 18:30:02
In reply to Re: The Lady Who Laughed at Everything, posted by Nibor on October 17, 2000, at 7:47:33
> What an interesting puzzle! Did you make this story up? Is is for a class?
I based this story on true facts. It happened to a friend's grandmother.
> Well, I'm the one who always tries to fix things, the one who says, "Oh not, that's not the way the movie should end. This is what should happen....."
> So, here's what I think should happen: The doctor fixes the woman and gets her to a "normal" thinking state, tells her what was going on, maybe even shows her some video...then lets her decide whether she wants to go back, sort of like a Living Will kind of pre-directive.
> Because, just like the saying "Be careful what you wish for..." maybe the woman would like to reevaluate her position.
> Nibor
>
>
> >
> > Questions for discussion:
> >
> > Did she choose and navigate her laughing madness ....
> > Was the doctor irresponsible?
> > Was choosing to let her be an abrogation of his oath?
> > Was it immoral to leave her untreaded?
> >
Posted by pullmarine on October 17, 2000, at 18:41:21
In reply to Re: The Lady Who Laughed at Everything » pullmarine, posted by Rzip on October 17, 2000, at 17:31:43
> > Pullmarine,
>
> I am interested in hearing your taking on the story. How do you perceive it?I take the story at pretty much at face value. The point being that what would be best for this woman's environment is not necessarily what would be best for her. In sum, there is a conflict of interested. The story also says some things about the world we live in, and makes her reluctance to live in it is quite comprehensible.
I will be posting more stories like these in the coming days, and some of them may be very disturbing psychologically or emotionally. I apologize for this, but i really need to vent some of my thoughts and feelings, so my sanity sort of depends on it. I thank you in advance for your tolerance and understanding.
>
> I sort of see the story as one of those techniques professionals use to gauge your mood at the moment. You know, like in a I.Q. test or something.
>
That was not the purpose of the story, but you are quite right in yopur comparisson.> I read the story again, and since I think I am feeling better (I might be fooling myself)... I gauge my state of mind on how focused and productive I am at studying. Anyway, I read the story again and here is my retake...
>
> The subject looked upon laughter as a mean of relieving stress. Too bad, she looked upon the defense mechanism (laughter, in this case) in extreme, and no one was supportive enough to "knock" her out of it. It is a tragic story.
>
I agree that it is tragic, but for whom. Part of the tragedy is about the world in which she refuses to live.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
Posted by Rzip on October 17, 2000, at 19:15:47
In reply to Re: The Lady Who ... answer to rzip+warning to all, posted by pullmarine on October 17, 2000, at 18:41:21
> Oh my gosh, Pullmarine. I am so sorry. I completely missed the point. You are more than welcome to post more.
Again, I am so sorry. I saw that not many people were responding to your post, so I thought I should reply just to acknowlege it.
Sorry.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> > Pullmarine,
> >
> > I am interested in hearing your taking on the story. How do you perceive it?
>
> I take the story at pretty much at face value. The point being that what would be best for this woman's environment is not necessarily what would be best for her. In sum, there is a conflict of interested. The story also says some things about the world we live in, and makes her reluctance to live in it is quite comprehensible.
>
> I will be posting more stories like these in the coming days, and some of them may be very disturbing psychologically or emotionally. I apologize for this, but i really need to vent some of my thoughts and feelings, so my sanity sort of depends on it. I thank you in advance for your tolerance and understanding.
> >
> > I sort of see the story as one of those techniques professionals use to gauge your mood at the moment. You know, like in a I.Q. test or something.
> >
> That was not the purpose of the story, but you are quite right in yopur comparisson.
>
> > I read the story again, and since I think I am feeling better (I might be fooling myself)... I gauge my state of mind on how focused and productive I am at studying. Anyway, I read the story again and here is my retake...
> >
> > The subject looked upon laughter as a mean of relieving stress. Too bad, she looked upon the defense mechanism (laughter, in this case) in extreme, and no one was supportive enough to "knock" her out of it. It is a tragic story.
> >
> I agree that it is tragic, but for whom. Part of the tragedy is about the world in which she refuses to live.
>
>
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
Posted by pullmarine on October 17, 2000, at 23:13:01
In reply to Re: The Lady Who ... answer to rzip+warning to all » pullmarine, posted by Rzip on October 17, 2000, at 19:15:47
> > Oh my gosh, Pullmarine. I am so sorry. I completely missed the point. You are more than welcome to post more.
Thanks. Like any work of art, the reader is free to see in it what he or she wants to. I'm glad you read it and I hope u enjoyed it.
JOHN
>
> Again, I am so sorry. I saw that not many people were responding to your post, so I thought I should reply just to acknowlege it.
>
> Sorry.
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> > > Pullmarine,
> > >
> > > I am interested in hearing your taking on the story. How do you perceive it?
> >
> > I take the story at pretty much at face value. The point being that what would be best for this woman's environment is not necessarily what would be best for her. In sum, there is a conflict of interested. The story also says some things about the world we live in, and makes her reluctance to live in it is quite comprehensible.
> >
> > I will be posting more stories like these in the coming days, and some of them may be very disturbing psychologically or emotionally. I apologize for this, but i really need to vent some of my thoughts and feelings, so my sanity sort of depends on it. I thank you in advance for your tolerance and understanding.
> > >
> > > I sort of see the story as one of those techniques professionals use to gauge your mood at the moment. You know, like in a I.Q. test or something.
> > >
> > That was not the purpose of the story, but you are quite right in yopur comparisson.
> >
> > > I read the story again, and since I think I am feeling better (I might be fooling myself)... I gauge my state of mind on how focused and productive I am at studying. Anyway, I read the story again and here is my retake...
> > >
> > > The subject looked upon laughter as a mean of relieving stress. Too bad, she looked upon the defense mechanism (laughter, in this case) in extreme, and no one was supportive enough to "knock" her out of it. It is a tragic story.
> > >
> > I agree that it is tragic, but for whom. Part of the tragedy is about the world in which she refuses to live.
> >
> >
> > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
Posted by pullmarine on October 18, 2000, at 0:39:31
In reply to Re: The Lady Who ... answer to rzip+warning to all » pullmarine, posted by Rzip on October 17, 2000, at 19:15:47
The reflection in the mirror stared back with his father's lustful, greedy, beady, perverse and penetrating eyes that were set in a face with the features of a piggy butcher's son. The latter, he'd gotten from his mother, and what he felt at that instant was more than hatred or disgust.
His stomach heaved. How he hated bearing any resemblance to them. They both repulsed him, and his mind, he envisioned them as two maggots feeding on rancid meat.
And there at the edge of the sink was the cut-throat, calling him by his name, begging to to be picked up.
He obeyed. Darkness and dreams of Oedipus followed as the warm, crimsom blood flowed down his cheeks and onto the floor. and there was neither pain nor fear as he blindly removed what pieces of flesh he could grab off his face.
When at last, he felt he had severed every bit that connected him in anyway to the maggots, he fainted.
He felt oppressed under the bandages that covered what had been his. There were distant voices, murmurs, and echoes that one only hears in hospitals. Then suddenly there was clarity, and as the voice beside him said: 'Son. We managed to save your life, but you'll never look the same again", he felt the warmth of a smile spread throughout his body.
Based on a song by Lou Reed
Posted by pullmarine on October 18, 2000, at 1:49:05
In reply to The Circumcision, posted by pullmarine on October 18, 2000, at 0:39:31
The Hundred Dollar Visit
A man went to a doctor
and sat down in a chair
and the shrink he said,
'now tell me sir,
why does it hurt and where?'
And the patient said 'I will tell you no lie,
I've a painful hole right here in my life
and he opened his heart so wide, so wide
that the doctor, for 100 bucks,
he climbed right inside
and said 'ho ho ho ho, now isn't this fun!'
as he tried his costly chemicals one by one.
And the patient cried, 'you're hurting me so.
Please put down your pills and let me go'
But the shrink he replied with a 'HO HO HO!
I've still a dozen psycho-active pills to go.'
'OOPS! That's the wrong one, I do confess,
but what's one psychotic nerve more or less?'
Then suddenly the door went 'Bam!'
And the patient was gone despite his doctor's plan
Where he went, one can only guess
To north or south or east or west
he left no forwarding address,
but what's one psycho more or less?based on a poem by shell silverstein.
Posted by Rzip on October 19, 2000, at 8:04:38
In reply to Re: The Hundred Dollar Visit, posted by pullmarine on October 18, 2000, at 1:49:05
> Hi John,
I am responding because I want to make sure that you are heard and acknowledged. There have been some issues on this board about oil, squeaky wheels, and such analogies. I have also read some of your other posts on PB (the medical board).
Rzip
The Hundred Dollar Visit
>
> A man went to a doctor
> and sat down in a chair
> and the shrink he said,
> 'now tell me sir,
> why does it hurt and where?'
> And the patient said 'I will tell you no lie,
> I've a painful hole right here in my life
> and he opened his heart so wide, so wide
> that the doctor, for 100 bucks,
> he climbed right inside
> and said 'ho ho ho ho, now isn't this fun!'
> as he tried his costly chemicals one by one.
> And the patient cried, 'you're hurting me so.
> Please put down your pills and let me go'
> But the shrink he replied with a 'HO HO HO!
> I've still a dozen psycho-active pills to go.'
> 'OOPS! That's the wrong one, I do confess,
> but what's one psychotic nerve more or less?'
> Then suddenly the door went 'Bam!'
> And the patient was gone despite his doctor's plan
> Where he went, one can only guess
> To north or south or east or west
> he left no forwarding address,
> but what's one psycho more or less?
>
> based on a poem by shell silverstein.
Posted by noa on October 19, 2000, at 18:32:06
In reply to Re: The Lady Who Laughed at Everything, posted by Nibor on October 17, 2000, at 7:47:33
Anyone ever see the film "King of Hearts?"
Posted by noa on October 19, 2000, at 18:51:11
In reply to The Circumcision, posted by pullmarine on October 18, 2000, at 0:39:31
Pullmarine--
Some associations to this story:
Perhaps an expression, in an extreme form, of what many go through as they separate from their parents in young adulthood. Although it is possible to tear away, so to speak, without having to self-mutilate, for many, it seems not possible.
It brings to mind youth subculture fads, like body peircing, etc., BUT, those also have the element of making the person similar to a peer subculture that takes the place of the parents.
It also makes me think of how we may loathe the parts of our self that we internalized from our parents, and how we might engage in self-destructive or self-defeating patterns because of that self-loathing.
In the story, the man found solice in having his face permanently altered. But the parallel to the self falls apart here. Any self-destructive ways we treat our selves doesn't seem, to me, to result in that kind of redemption from what is hated. However, in the story, it is not really the self-mutilation alone that results in the man's experience of redemption, it is how the self-violence brings about reconstruction, albeit imperfect. The man finds hope in a new reality, not in going back to what was before. When a person harms themselves, bringing on treatment, the treatment cannot possibly restore the self to some sort of pristine state as though the pain and self-loathing never happened. The reconstruction is imperfect, but perhaps that is where hope lies?
Both this story and the laughing woman story involve looking beyond the surface of what we usually see as we move through daily existence. Both characters see something others can't.
Posted by noa on October 19, 2000, at 18:53:18
In reply to Re: The Hundred Dollar Visit, posted by pullmarine on October 18, 2000, at 1:49:05
could you tell us which poem? I'd like to see the original. Same with the Lou Reed lyrics. Thanks.
Posted by pullmarine on October 20, 2000, at 17:59:05
In reply to Re: The Hundred Dollar Visit » pullmarine, posted by noa on October 19, 2000, at 18:53:18
> could you tell us which poem? I'd like to see the original. Same with the Lou Reed lyrics. Thanks.
shell silverstein: crocodile's toothache can be found on p.66 of Where the Sidewalk Ends.
Lou reed: Magic and Loss track 7, entitled, Harry's Circumcisionthere are three more stories coming up, and i'll reply to your previous posts when i'M LESS TIRED (IE. TOMORROW)
Posted by Racer on October 21, 2000, at 15:15:39
In reply to The Lady Who Laughed at Everything, posted by pullmarine on October 14, 2000, at 23:38:33
I'm late in reading this, but it reminds me of something...
Have you ever read anything by Joanne Greenberg? Yes, the so called "Rose Garden" patient.
She wrote a very striking short story called something like Certain Distant Suns. (Just typing that sends chills down my body, it's very powerful.)
This story concerns an eccentric Jewish woman who gradually decides to stop believing in some of the rules which have governed her life. Little by little she is removed from the reality which others face.
The story itself is about a loss of religious faith, and a loss of sanity, but it's powerful and very, very interesting. Greenberg was a tremendous writer, and managed to grasp that allegorical fable feeling that you can find in writers like Garcia Marquez. I highly recommend that short story, though I can't tell you where you can find it. I came upon it years and years ago, and I think it may have been sent to me by an academic I was collaborating with at the time. I remember he sent me a stack of photocopied stories he used for a class, and I think this one was included.
Regardless of where I got a hold of it, if you can find it, read it. You may find that it snaps any last link you have to reality, but I think the Aunt's world was a much nicer place overall, anyway. I'll see you there!
Posted by pullmarine on November 17, 2000, at 12:59:13
In reply to Re: The Lady Who Laughed at Everything » pullmarine, posted by Racer on October 21, 2000, at 15:15:39
> I'm late in reading this, but it reminds me of something...
>
> Have you ever read anything by Joanne Greenberg? Yes, the so called "Rose Garden" patient.
>
> She wrote a very striking short story called something like Certain Distant Suns. (Just typing that sends chills down my body, it's very powerful.)
>
> This story concerns an eccentric Jewish woman who gradually decides to stop believing in some of the rules which have governed her life. Little by little she is removed from the reality which others face.
>
> The story itself is about a loss of religious faith, and a loss of sanity, but it's powerful and very, very interesting. Greenberg was a tremendous writer, and managed to grasp that allegorical fable feeling that you can find in writers like Garcia Marquez. I highly recommend that short story, though I can't tell you where you can find it. I came upon it years and years ago, and I think it may have been sent to me by an academic I was collaborating with at the time. I remember he sent me a stack of photocopied stories he used for a class, and I think this one was included.
>
> Regardless of where I got a hold of it, if you can find it, read it. You may find that it snaps any last link you have to reality, but I think the Aunt's world was a much nicer place overall, anyway. I'll see you there!
Posted by pullmarine on November 17, 2000, at 13:03:20
In reply to Re: The Hundred Dollar Visit, posted by pullmarine on October 18, 2000, at 1:49:05
THE SANE MAN KILLS
The sane man kills
The madman kills
The general and soldier killThe sane man is jailed and electrocuted
The madman is locked up and medicated
The soldier and the general get promoted
> The Hundred Dollar Visit
>
> A man went to a doctor
> and sat down in a chair
> and the shrink he said,
> 'now tell me sir,
> why does it hurt and where?'
> And the patient said 'I will tell you no lie,
> I've a painful hole right here in my life
> and he opened his heart so wide, so wide
> that the doctor, for 100 bucks,
> he climbed right inside
> and said 'ho ho ho ho, now isn't this fun!'
> as he tried his costly chemicals one by one.
> And the patient cried, 'you're hurting me so.
> Please put down your pills and let me go'
> But the shrink he replied with a 'HO HO HO!
> I've still a dozen psycho-active pills to go.'
> 'OOPS! That's the wrong one, I do confess,
> but what's one psychotic nerve more or less?'
> Then suddenly the door went 'Bam!'
> And the patient was gone despite his doctor's plan
> Where he went, one can only guess
> To north or south or east or west
> he left no forwarding address,
> but what's one psycho more or less?
>
> based on a poem by shell silverstein.
Posted by Racer on November 17, 2000, at 14:39:10
In reply to how can i get a copy of the story u mention? np » Racer, posted by pullmarine on November 17, 2000, at 12:59:13
You know, I really don't know. I know that I read it in some sort of anthology, but I can't remember which one. You might check Amazon.com, that's my best guess.
Honestly, from the start of the story, when the eccentric aunt gives up closing her windows because she no longer believes that germs cause disease, the story gripped me like an iron band. It's worth looking for.
Posted by Noa on November 17, 2000, at 14:46:59
In reply to Re: how can i get a copy of the story u mention? np » pullmarine, posted by Racer on November 17, 2000, at 14:39:10
gee, this reminds me of a story about a woman who gets fed up with her existence as the guardian of cleanliness and routines and maintenance of household, that she goes from being extremely vigilant to giving it all up and doing nothing.
My sister had sent me a copy of it a few years ago after a great visit in which we discussed how much we hate housework and how messy our homes are, etc.
I have this photocopy somewhere but finding it...well, you can imagine how hard it is to find things in my place.
I don't recall the author's name, but I will try to find out. It sounds similar in some ways to the story you mentioned.
This is the end of the thread.
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