Do we have a chance to be different from what we used to be ? are we insane for things we think and do which are different from other common people think and do? can we freely express what as our passions ? have we ever thought about the mystery of our existence in the world and thought beyond our conventional comprehension ?
One day Veronika a young lady from Slovenia-it was Yugoslavia- with her perfect life planned to end her life by consuming overdose sleeping pills. She’s just 24. She’s fed up with her boring life. She everyday time to time did the same things. Life seemed predictable to her while she can’t do anything knowing most of the time so many people are suffering from war, poverty, and any other unlucky things that she watched from TV without ending. However she didn’t die. She found her self in a mental hospital in a weak condition. It was told that she had five days left of her life ever since. Being desperate to know she was still alive however she seemed that she felt relieved to do the things she never did before her death. She celebrated her life and met some inmates who had also another horrible lives.
Zedka, a housewife about 35 year old with two kids and a perfect husband obsessed of being a mistress of her former lover who is married. She was depressed of being lonely to be his mistress. Time to time she kept on waiting him but he didn’t come. It is getting worse while in the heat political situation during the war She eventually became acutely depressed. She was a Serbian campaigner for her people in the country but at the same time regretted her self not doing the same effort of struggling for her first love. She ignored and abandoned her lovely family and was getting crazier of her lost love.
Mari, a 40 year old lawyer is one of inmates in Villete, a mental hospital where Veronika and Zedka spent their miserable but “free” time together. The doctor diagnosed that she was sticken by panic attack or panic disorder. Her story began when she had watched movie on poverty in El Savador with her husband. She was gripped by despair looking at the terrible realm in the movie ; starving, children were forced to live on the streets and turn to prostitution. Since she began her career as a lawyer for years until she has got grown children she felt that she never realized about what was happening in the world. In her mind it didn’t make sense that people still fighting in war at the end of the twentieth century.
What Zedka did sounds stupid for us. Meanwhile what Veronika thought about committing suicide seems hopeless that nothing would change in this life. What about Mary who are schocked by knowing the miserable real life of other people far away in El savador? Where has she been so far? What did she ever do to the her people surrounding her as a lawyer for 40 years? Why did she just realize that there are a lot of people out there who live suffering in war and below poverty line ?
Another patient was Edward, diagnosed as schizophrenic. But he’s not. He found his self-existence when he got an accident and spent awhile in the hospital. During that time he met some people who introduceed him the world that he never touched. This world that actually he passionate about. He loved art. He aspired to be an artist. Unfortunately his diplomat parents disagreed with that. They made him to follow his father’s career path as a diplomat. Edward was desperate and became lonely. He kept him away from the people but just spent the whole days in his room with his art creations. His parents thought that he was crazy.
What happened to them are reflected to what happens to us as human beings. Like Veronika she experienced the days are almost the same everyday, since she was a child until she has grown as a young lady see knew that life’s circle was around into the same path every time. We were born, we go to school, we fall in love, we get married, we take care of husband and children for so many long years, we are getting old, and we die. This all for her seemed boring, predictable and not surprising. What she understood about life is all that.
What about Zedka, she lived in fantasy trying to find her true love like stories in the movies and live with happy ending after long struggles.
Why should we live in this world ? what are the meaningful things we are able to create either for ourselves or even to other people ? should we go so far being a volunteer in the war zone just to help people ? or actually we can do something else which will value the same ? do you believe that we are unique creature with different destiny, passion, interest, thought, and on and on? We could be born from the same parents but with different characters. No matter what kind of people and parent who bring us up, we just go with our destiny flow. There’s no one better than others because of our different toughts. We're just different each other. That's why we learn to complete each other.
This reflective work by Paulo Coelho takes us on a quest to find meaning in a culture overshadowed by angst, soullest routine, and preserve conformity. This story is based on true events in Coelho’s life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.
Note : some of the last statements are quoted from the brief description in the book.
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