The Effects of Unchecked Mental Illness

The effects of unchecked mental illness can progressively develop into violent behavior and disillusionment, Fiona Barton warns in The Widow. This theme is illustrated primarily through the characters of Glen and Jean Taylor, although other characters in the novel also contribute to the exploration of mental illness, such as Lee Chambers and Mike Doonan.

Clearly, with Glen's addiction to pornography, and more specifically his obsession with child pornography, the reader becomes increasingly aware that Glen suffers from mental illness. Beyond this obsession, it becomes apparent at the end of the story that Glen was cold and calculating with his stalking of Bella. He had planned it out by initially creeping on chat rooms with Dawn Elliott, stalking her Facebook page and finding out every little detail about her life, following her and Bella around different places in town. Glen’s preoccupation...