Keyword Guide · character-analysis
Susanna is the narrator and central character of Girl, Interrupted. Her story frames the book’s exploration of mental health, identity, and societal norms for young women in the 1960s. This guide breaks down her traits, choices, and narrative purpose to help you build analysis for class, essays, or exams. Write one key trait you notice about Susanna in the margins of your book right now.
Susanna is a 19-year-old woman admitted to a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt. She serves as both a participant in and observer of the hospital’s community, grappling with feelings of detachment, confusion, and a desire to define her identity outside societal expectations. Her narrative voice balances vulnerability with critical distance, making her a relatable lens for the book’s themes. Jot down one example of her observational tone to reference later.
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Susanna is the first-person narrator and protagonist of Girl, Interrupted. She is a young woman in the 1960s who struggles with disillusionment, self-harm, and a diagnosis that she questions throughout her stay in a psychiatric facility. Her character embodies the tension between conforming to societal standards for women and embracing her own ambiguous sense of self.
Next step: Create a two-column list to track Susanna’s actions and her inner thoughts about those actions.
Action: Track Susanna’s changing attitudes toward her diagnosis throughout the book
Output: A timeline of 4 key shifts in her perspective, each tied to a specific event
Action: Compare Susanna’s interactions with 2 different patients (e.g., a peer and a long-term resident)
Output: A Venn diagram highlighting similarities and differences in her communication style and empathy levels
Action: Connect Susanna’s experiences to 1960s societal norms for young women
Output: A 3-bullet list of how external pressures shape her choices and self-perception
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Action: Gather all your notes on Susanna’s actions, thoughts, and relationships from Girl, Interrupted
Output: A organized list of key moments, grouped by theme (e.g., trauma, identity, societal pressure)
Action: Identify patterns in her behavior that contradict her stated beliefs or self-perception
Output: A 3-point list of contradictions, each paired with a specific example from the text
Action: Link those contradictions to a major theme in the book and draft a focused analysis paragraph
Output: A polished paragraph that connects Susanna’s character to the book’s broader message, ready for use in essays or class discussion
Teacher looks for: Clear, specific identification of Susanna’s core traits, supported by textual evidence
How to meet it: Avoid vague descriptors like ‘sad’ or ‘confused’; instead, use traits like ‘detached observer’ or ‘diagnosis skeptic’ and pair each with a concrete example of her actions or narration
Teacher looks for: Explicit links between Susanna’s character and the book’s major themes (e.g., mental health stigma, gender roles, identity)
How to meet it: Don’t just describe Susanna’s traits; explain how those traits illustrate or challenge a theme, using a specific example from her arc
Teacher looks for: Recognition of how the 1960s setting shapes Susanna’s experiences, choices, and societal expectations
How to meet it: Reference specific 1960s norms for young women (e.g., marriage, domesticity, gendered mental health care) and explain how they impact Susanna’s actions and self-perception
As the first-person narrator, Susanna controls what readers see and hear about the hospital’s community. She often frames herself as a neutral observer, but her choices about what to include (and what to omit) reveal her own biases and unacknowledged feelings. Use this section to reference in class when discussing narrative perspective. Create a table tracking 3 moments where Susanna omits key details about her own experiences.
Susanna is admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt and given a formal diagnosis. Throughout her stay, she questions the validity of this label, arguing that her struggles stem from societal pressure rather than a fixed mental illness. This skepticism ties to the book’s critique of 1960s mental health practices. Write a one-sentence reflection on how you would respond to Susanna’s questioning of her diagnosis.
Susanna forms complicated bonds with other patients in the hospital. Some relationships force her to confront her own trauma, while others allow her to take on a protective or observational role. These connections highlight her desire for connection and her fear of vulnerability. Pick one of Susanna’s relationships and write a 3-sentence analysis of what it reveals about her character.
By the end of the book, Susanna does not ‘recover’ in a traditional sense. Instead, she learns to accept her own complexity and reject the idea that she must fit a narrow diagnostic box. This arc challenges the notion of ‘normalcy’ as a fixed state. Outline 2 key events that drive Susanna’s shift toward self-acceptance.
The 1960s setting shapes Susanna’s expectations for herself as a young woman. She faces pressure to conform to traditional roles of marriage and domesticity, which contributes to her feelings of disillusionment and detachment. This context adds depth to her struggle with identity. Research one 1960s social norm for young women and link it to a specific choice Susanna makes in the book.
Many readers mislabel Susanna as ‘passive’ or ‘ungrateful’ because of her detached tone. This overlooks her quiet acts of resistance, from questioning her diagnosis to supporting other patients in subtle ways. Keep this in mind when writing essays to avoid oversimplifying her character. Create a list of 2 misinterpretations and one counterexample for each to reference in class.
Susanna is based on the book’s author, Susanna Kaysen, whose real-life experiences inspired the memoir. The character reflects Kaysen’s own struggles with mental health and institutionalization in the 1960s. Jot down one way this biographical context might change your interpretation of Susanna’s narration.
Susanna questions her diagnosis because she sees it as a label that reduces her complex experiences to a narrow, societal standard of ‘madness.’ She argues that her struggles are rooted in disillusionment with 1960s gender roles and pressure to conform, not a fixed mental illness. Write a one-sentence response to her critique of diagnostic labeling.
Susanna is a partially unreliable narrator because she often downplays her own trauma and frames herself as a neutral observer, even as her choices reveal her biases. This unreliability encourages readers to question the line between ‘madness’ and ‘normalcy’ rather than accepting a single truth. Create a 2-point list of examples that show her unreliability.
Susanna’s arc centers on moving from confusion and self-doubt to accepting her own complexity. She starts by questioning her diagnosis and feeling disconnected from the world, and ends by embracing her identity without needing to fit a narrow label. Map this arc onto 3 key moments in the book.
Editorial note: This page is independently written for educational support. Verify specifics with assigned class materials and the original text.
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