Discussion

1) How does Gay's use of literary devices allow the readers to understand Mireille's horrific experience in captivity?

Roxanne Gay incorporates syntax and imagery to develop Mireille's character while in captivity, allowing the readers to connect to the story. Gay's use of short, abrupt sentences throughout the text depict Mireille's feelings of isolation. While enduring the horrific conditions in captivity, Miri tries to erase her past from memory in order to protect herself. She considers herself "no one," and eventually this is who she becomes. At the end of several chapters, Gay concludes with short phrases which start to influence the tone of the novel as a whole. After tolerating abuse from the Commander, Miri forces herself to erase her thoughts of pain and Gay end the chapter as Mireille says, "I was no one" (166). Gay's use of brief, simple sentences reflect Miri's feelings that are slowly diminishing. Ultimately, Miri's experiences shape her into a different person, who is both defenseless and emotionless. The sentences displayed in the context lack detail and emotion, which symbolize how Mireille feels and who she has become while in captivity. In order for readers to engage in the story, Gay uses vivid imagery to bring Miri's conditions in captivity to life. The sexual violence and abuse that Miri experiences are described in great detail, which make the reader gain perspective and feel as though he is a part of Miri's thirteen days of misery. Although being able to clearly visualize the graphic context may make the reader cringe, it also allows one to connect on another level with Miri which is crucial in understanding her horrific experiences. Specifically, Gay's description allows the reader to imagine interactions between Miri and the Commander: “He held the cigarette so close to my skin, the heat seared. My flesh rose. I began to sweat again, the air filling with the smell of soap and sweat and smoke. The smell of my own flesh burning was almost a comfort. I was alive” (81). Gay makes it possible for the reader to empathize with Mireille through the use of syntax and imagery, allowing the reader to more thoroughly understand Miri's feelings and experiences through living them with her.

2) Without the help of Lorraine or her presence in Mireille’s life, would her recovery been the same? If she hasn't helped Lorraine with her illness, would Lorraine actually have the courage to help Mireille or would she have left her alone? How would Mireille’s outcome change? Would suicide be the end result?

After Mireille is released from her thirteen day captivity, she needs someone or something to help her escape from her memories of the atrocious nightmare. Michael, her husband, wants no more than anything to connect with Miri and to understand her pain, but she neglected his open arms. Because he is a man, he is able to hurt her at any second and transform into a monster, just like the Commander or TiPierre. She needs to free herself from all the horrible thoughts that circle through her mind. As a result, she drives to Nebraska, seeking refuge with Lorraine, her mother-in-law. Because Mireille allots so much time and so much of herself to help Lorraine overcome her cancer earlier in the novel, Lorraine has a moral obligation to repay Mireille the favor. Without Lorraine, Miri definitely would not have been able to recover from this torment. Though it takes time, Lorraine strives to help Mireille. She makes Miri eat again, takes her to the hospital in order to have reconstructive surgery on her broken body, and eventually allows her to regain trust in someone. Although Lorraine does not show Mireille much gratitude when she helped her, being generous in Mireille’s time of need proves that Lorraine’s character surpasses the woman who the reader meets upon the novel’s start. She is no longer a racist and judgemental woman, but rather one who pays tribute and helps those who are in need. Without Lorraine's aid to alleviate some of Miri's pain and struggle to endure through each day, Mireille could have gone off the deep end. Mireille could have convinced herself that her life is not worth living and that she is of no importance to anyone anymore. Luckily, Lorraine was there for Mireille when she needed it most. Through Lorraine and Mireille’s mutual compassion, they forge a relationship and bond that surpasses their torments and defines the novel.

3) Why did Mireille refuse to admit she had a child and husband while in captivity and how do her experiences reflect her interactions with Michael and Christophe after she is freed?

Being held captive for a span of thirteen days instills a great deal of stress that could lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Mireille is not the successful lawyer from Miami, helping immigrants stay in the United States. She is an animal, that is abused, assaulted, and beaten. Her mantra as she stays in the cage is “I am no one.” She takes on that persona—or lack thereof—to soothe the incomprehensible pain, sorrow and agony she faces. Miri is the only one hurt physically. By repeating “I am no one,” it protects her family, Michael and Christophe, from being captured or killed at the hands of the Commander. She is removing herself emotionally from the situation to protect them because it is too late for her to free herself from the torture. Scientifically, one needs twenty-one days to fix a habit and replace it with a better one. Thirteen days are on the road to making her forget everything she ever loved. So that, through love, her family stays safe and out of harms way. She repeatedly bargains with the commander to never go after her family in exchange for her cooperation for the rest of her life. She becomes self-less. She becomes “no one” so that Michael and Christophe stay unharmed and never have to face the torture that is inflicted upon her.

4) How does this book accurately portray the psychological effects of confinement and kidnapping?

After months of refusing to see a doctor, Mireille is finally tricked by Lorraine into going to see one. After assessing all of her physical injuries, the doctor informed Mireille that she was showing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that someone can contract as a result of experiencing some sort of traumatic event. In this case, the event that caused her PTSD is, obviously, her kidnapping. Some common symptoms of this disorder are flashbacks, a feeling of detachment, and difficulty concentrating, all of which Miri shows at some point in the novel. After she is freed, whenever she encounters a situation in which she is alone with any man besides her husband, she remembers being locked in the room with the Commander causing her to panic, indicating a flashback. Mireille also ponders how she would have reacted to situations prior to her kidnapping. There are many instances in which Mireille wishes to be detached from those close to her. A good example of this is how she refuses to touch her son, Christophe, out of fear of tainting him with some of the evil that surrounds her. She runs away from home soon after returning to Miami, where she and her husband, Michael, stay because she is not comfortable surrounded by other people. Her difficulty concentrating reflects through the diction that Roxane Gay uses to show Mireille's thought process after returning to her home. In general, her thoughts are brief and scattered, which show her lack of focus. She feels as though she is mentally confined and unable to process thought through her presence in the “cage” that stains her psyche forever. (See Symbols: The Cage)

(Source: Gay, Roxane. An Untamed State. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.)