Madness with a Method

Writers, and any artist for that matter, have challenged society since humanity began.  Some people can see the world differenly, and eloquently phrase and describe it.  This process in turn flips our world upside down, sometimes with violent repercussions (Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" riot, just to name one example).  As a matter of fact, our own class discussion at times turned into a heated, passionate debate about "truth" and "honesty" in regards to our current text, A Question of Power, by Bessie Head.  My question is, then, if an artist can generate any kind of discourse, hasn't he/she achieved that highly-prized concept we deem "art"?

Elizabeth, Head's main character, is a trainwreck.  She has a very loose sense of self, and this sense is largely constructed by others.  By others I mean both external forces (S. African government, other "gods" walking the streets, etc.), and internally (Elizabeth's delusional personality disorder creates good and evil "angels" in a sense).  Her world is in constant turmoil, as Dan, the evil spirit, and Sello, and good and bad "prophet" constanly beat her down emotionally with abject premonitions.  This bombardment leads to unhealthy behavior for Elizabeth, and consequently a "wild ride" of sorts for the reader.

The constant tense-shifting device adds subliminally to Head's story.  Like most accomplished writers, the traditional novel is turned on its head.  Mirroring Faulkner's use of streams of consciousness, we are taken down a ruinous path with Elizabeth.  Many times confusion permeates the novel, but Head creates a unique flavor of hope that keeps the reader going.  I never felt the novel was going nowhere, and despite Elizabeth's tragic life, I can't help but feel that she will endure and emerge a better person as a result of journey through personal hell.

In terms of authenticity and honesty, no of us can ever know if Head is being true to herself and her readers.  While some in our class are self-ascribed experts on schizophrenia and other mental disorders, Head makes a convincing case that at least her main character is schizophrenic.  She is persuaded by personalities in her head to "kill' others (p.33).  I am no psychologist, but Elizabeth's self-destructive behavior, frequent delusions, and night terrors of extreme rage and violence seem to lend themselves towards schizophrenic tendencies.  People with the disorder can perform normal funcions, and Head has certainly done just so with the writing of this novel.  Much like James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, it may be unjust to call the novels memoirs or autobiographical, but at the end of the day these are fictional novels.  Whether or not Head herself has a mental condition is irrelevant; Elizabeth is not a normal-thinking individual.

Head uses a variety of literary techniques to create the illusion of madness.  These vehicles in a sense define and frame a reality--a direct contrast to the writer herself who claims she has no sense of a "frame of reference."  This paradox creates both a disconcerting and yet fulfilling novel thus far.  How can an author guide a reader towards framing a reality based on chaos?  That being said, I'm quite confident that Head will answer this question in a very different way than I am used to reading: the book was published, after all!