1. Girl, Interrupted
Book By Susanna Kaysen
Film Directed by James Mangold
By Shelbi Jennett
Block 6

2. Summary
In 1967, 19-year-old Susanna Kaysen creates a memoir
about her stay at a mental hospital.Susanna feels that
"reality is becoming too dense", has a suicide attempt,
and is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.
The doctor suggests to her parents that she be
committed to the McLean Hospital, and she spends the
next 18 months struggling with her troubled psyche and
the bizarre world of the institution. Susanna bonds with
several other patients, including Lisa, Polly, and
Georgina. As she realizes that Lisa is potentially
dangerous and truly needs help, Susanna begins to work
harder with her psychiatrist and the nurse on the ward.
But Susanna soon learns that getting out of the hospital
is not as easy as getting in.

3. Adaptation From Book to Film
Key Elements Included in the Film:
- The basic story line, including Susanna's suicide
attempt, her thoughts, and memories.
- The main characters that accompanied Susanna
during her stay at the hospital.
- The situations that led up to her being put into
the mental hospital.

4. Key Elements Excluded from the Film:
- Some of the less dramatic patients that she had
certain experiences with in the hospital.
- The explanation of most of her thoughts, and her
reasoning for thinking that way.

5. Changed Scenes:
Some of the key scenes in the book, were
interpreted differently in the movie. The scenes
were either made out to be less dramatic, or more
dramatic then the original author intended. Such
as:
- Daisy committing suicide
- Susanna sleeping with her mother's best friend's
husband.
-Her boyfriend Toby, during her stay in the
hospital.

6. Choice of Actors
The actors chosen to portray the characters in the
novel, fit their descriptions, perfectly.
- Susanna Kaysen: Winona Ryder
- Lisa: Angelina Jolie
- Polly: Elizabeth Moss
- Nurse Valerie: Whoppi Goldberg

7. Susanna Kaysen
Winona Ryder suites the
role of Susanna Kaysen,
due to her spacey
attitude, and her crazed
look. The profile of
Susanna Kaysen is
portrayed as more of a
tomboy, who is lost in
her own little world,
and who never seems
fully “there”. Ryder did
an excellent job
portraying the main

8. Lisa
Angelina Jolie acts the
part of Lisa, a crazed
psychopath who is the
leader of the wolf-pack.
She may be crazy, but
she is one of the
smartest people in the
hospital. Jolie fits the
profile by her
bewildered appearance,
and her deranged
energy.

9. Polly
Polly is a burn victim staying
at the hospital after
attempting suicide by
lighting herself on fire.
Elizabeth Moss does an
outstanding job with fitting
Polly's profile from the
novel, with her gentle
spirit. Although Polly has
never seen her wounds
from her attempt, she still
remains the most loving
and gentle person in the
hospital.

10. Nurse Valerie
Whoppi Goldberg
portrays the infamous
Nurse Valerie.
Although she is still an
orderly, the girls on the
ward hold a high
amount of respect for
her, due to her tough
but caring attitude, and
her lack of tolerance for
mischief.

11. Key Scenes
Book: Film:
The Key scene for the The key scene from the
book is when Susanna film was when Daisy
is reflecting on her stay Committed suicide.
at the hospital at the end Although in the book, it
of the book. She goes barely took up a whole
through everything that paragraph, it was the
she gained and learned most dramatized scene
from the stay at throughout the entire
McLean. film.
1:17:00

12. Preference
Although both the book and film were equally as
interesting, I personally prefer the book. The film was
excellent, however, it did put a lot of emphasis on scenes
that were not relevant to the purpose of the book. As for
the novel, the reason it sparks my interest, was mostly
due to the fact that it includes so much more description
to what Susanna experienced. The movie put more
emphasis on the situations around her, and less about
how she experienced it. The novel was written from her
point of view, so the reader has more of an idea of hows
shes feeling about the situation and what is going
through her mind.