Girl, Interrupted

by

Susanna Kaysen

Polly Character Analysis

A young woman on the psychiatric ward who attempted suicide by self-immolation using gasoline before she was even old enough to drive. Susanna pities Polly, knowing that while she herself and the rest of her fellow patients may one day make it out of McLean, Polly is trapped forever in the cage of her burned and scarred body.

Polly Quotes in Girl, Interrupted

The Girl, Interrupted quotes below are all either spoken by Polly or refer to Polly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Isolation and Seclusion Theme Icon
).
Chapter 16 Quotes

Cynthia was depressive; Polly and Georgina were schizophrenic; I had a character disorder. Sometimes they called it a personality disorder. When I got my diagnosis it didn't sound serious, but after a while it sounded more ominous than other people's. I imagined my character as a plate or shirt that had been manufactured incorrectly and was therefore useless.

Related Characters: Susanna Kaysen (speaker), Polly, Georgina, Cynthia
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
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Polly Quotes in Girl, Interrupted

The Girl, Interrupted quotes below are all either spoken by Polly or refer to Polly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Isolation and Seclusion Theme Icon
).
Chapter 16 Quotes

Cynthia was depressive; Polly and Georgina were schizophrenic; I had a character disorder. Sometimes they called it a personality disorder. When I got my diagnosis it didn't sound serious, but after a while it sounded more ominous than other people's. I imagined my character as a plate or shirt that had been manufactured incorrectly and was therefore useless.

Related Characters: Susanna Kaysen (speaker), Polly, Georgina, Cynthia
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis: