Summary

 

The group uniformly agrees on how books and films play a pivotal role in child development. They can be vehicles to understanding internal conflicts. We all agree that Adeline found a sense of relief through literature. The books she read were vehicles to escape her unfortunate life. The protagonists from these books had solutions to similar struggles which compelled her to change her perspectives on many things throughout the novel itself. In other words, the literature she read gave her the strength to cope with her own reality. In contrast, Niang fits the profile to be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. According to its definition in the textbook, the disorder is defined as longing for positive reinforcement and attention from others, and disregard for everyone but one’s self. Niang constantly seeked the approval of those around her. Most importantly, she wanted to be accepted by her husband−the most crucial figure in her life. This means that the entire splendor in her wardrobe and personality was done to impress him. We argue that although traits in the novel indicate that Niang was battling an internal struggle to find self-acceptance and some type of agency, she is not excused from the pain she inflicted onto others.​