The Return · Question
How does The Return develop the theme of Sanity and Madness?
Answer
The Return by Walter de la Mare develops Sanity and Madness across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book constantly questions the boundary between sanity and madness, as Lawford fears for his own mental state while others debate whether he is ill, possessed, or simply delusional.
Lawford questions his own sanity as he struggles to understand the transformation and his wife accuses him of being mad.
Lawford desperately fears for his sanity, pleading 'my sanity, my sanity' and stating he would rather die than go mad.
Lawford hears voices, considers his thoughts as insanity, and experiences a surge of indignation, teetering on the edge of mental breakdown.
Evidence in the book
- I
Lawford questions his own sanity as he struggles to understand the transformation and his wife accuses him of being mad.
- III
Lawford desperately fears for his sanity, pleading 'my sanity, my sanity' and stating he would rather die than go mad.
- IV
Lawford hears voices, considers his thoughts as insanity, and experiences a surge of indignation, teetering on the edge of mental breakdown.
- VI
Lawford questions his own sanity, wondering if his transformation is a delusion, and fears being seen as a lunatic.
- VII
Lawford questions his own sanity, considers hallucination and influenza as explanations, and experiences a sinister presence.
- Chapter VIII
Lawford's internal conflict and his craving for the graveyard suggest a struggle with sanity; Sheila fears he is acting 'mad' and 'criminal.'
- XI
Lawford questions his own sanity, and Sheila and others treat his condition as a mental disturbance, blurring the line between reality and delusion.
- XII
Lawford fears he is going insane, but Herbert argues that his self-awareness proves otherwise, exploring the boundary between sanity and madness.
