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Post by zevgreen on Aug 19, 2017 18:07:33 GMT -5
How is Etienne's mental illness (which would probably be diagnosed today as PTSD) important to the story? How would the story be different if he was mentally sound?
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Post by codytaylor on Aug 19, 2017 19:31:08 GMT -5
It is important to the story because of two reasons. First, for his personal character arc, it gives him an obstacle to overcome, which he does when he leaves the house to help Marie Laure. As for the story as a whole, it shows the horror of war, and how it deeply affects people long after the conflict is resolved. This is backed up later in the story, when Jutta still feels the pain of losing her brother in the war, even decades after it is over
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Post by ellahardiee on Aug 22, 2017 23:42:13 GMT -5
Etienne's mental health is an important aspect to the story because it affects multiple characters other than Etienne himself. For example, Marie-Laure's bond with Etienne was more significant, as she broke his shell and got past his initial quirks to have an ally; Madame Manec was a part of the story, as Etienne was somewhat dependant on her services due to his mental state. If Etienne had been mentally sound in the novel, I don't believe many aspects of the story would change; though Etienne was mentally unstable, he was of sound mind, as he deeply cared for Marie-Laure and protected her at all costs. This would not be enhanced or diminished if Etienne did not suffer from PTSD or agoraphobia.
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