Girl, Interrupted Characters & Character Analysis

Girl, Interrupted Important People

Susanna Kaysen

Kaysen, the author of the autobiographical memoir, is the principle protagonist of the narrative and is present in nearly every event discussed in the text. Kaysen grew up in a wealthy and prestigious family, which appears to have been typical in most respects. Her mid-to-late teenage years were marked with developing mental illness, which was eventually diagnosed as Borderline Personality Disorder. In 1965, at the age of seventeen, Kaysen attempted suicide through the ingestion of a massive dose of aspirin. After this suicide attempt, Kaysen engaged in an illicit sexual relationship with her high school English teacher, while simultaneously terminating her non-sexual relationship with her boyfriend. Other comments within the memoir regarding casual sexual encounters can be construed to infer that Kaysen was sexually active with several different partners during this period—though this is not definitively established. During the same period, she also engaged in routine, subdued self-mutilation and experienced...
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