a sharper diagnosis
There must have been a more exact diagnosis.Suddenly, Last Summer · 1959 — 第 5 / 27 章 · 4'28" · C1
Violet Describes Catherine's Madness, Explained：at one's wits' end
Violet explains her niece's madness to the doctor and asks him to operate. She calls the disease name 'such a pretty name for a disease,' and says Catherine 'lacerates herself with memory.' The doctor's questions keep pulling out details Violet would rather not admit.
あらすじ
Violet tells Dr. Cukrowicz how her niece Catherine went mad last summer: a clinic cabled that she was out of her mind, she was shipped home locked in a stateroom, and now St. Mary's refuses to keep her. Violet has been told to find another place. She calls the operation a blessing and urges him to perform it.
注目の表現
out of one's mindat one's wits' endcope withpacify
00:00 / 04:28Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
at one's wits' end
with no idea left
She puts it plainly: if the doctor cannot help, she is at her wits' end, a plea that doubles as pressure.
I'm at my wits' end trying to find a flat.
このシーンの他の表現
- out of one's mind
insane or frantic
- cope with
manage or handle
- pacify
calm someone down
- subsidize
pay part of the cost
- as soon as possible
at the earliest chance
このシーンのメモ一覧
84 行のセリフに 27 件のメモ
cuts herself with
She lacerates herself with memory.the first I heard of it
The first I knew, there was a cable from this clinic in Paris...insane or frantic
A cable from the Paris clinic states flatly that her niece is out of her mind, turning a person into a problem.
...saying, "Your niece is out of her mind. What shall we do?"Out of her blurs into outta-her.
...saying, "Your niece is out of her mind. What shall we do?"shut inside
...locked in her stateroom like a wild animal.sudden violent outbursts
...or cope with her fits of violence.appearing as
Mostly taking the form of hideous attacks...beyond treatment or hope
If she isn't unapproachable and hopeless, I don't know who is.conditional retort: The if-clause sets a standard and the main clause dares her to find a better example.
If she isn't unapproachable and hopeless, I don't know who is.The t of isn't links straight into unapproachable.
If she isn't unapproachable and hopeless, I don't know who is.for example? — A two-word push for an example; more is unnecessary.
Such as?you brought this on yourself — Said with a shrug after someone insists; faintly annoyed.
All right, you asked.blamed someone for
Catherine accused an elderly gardener of making love to her.made romantic overtures to
Catherine had made advances to him, spoken obscenely to him.reduced clause: The subject and was are dropped from when she was confronted, leaving a reduced clause.
When confronted with her lies, she fought and screamed.four people were needed
It took four nuns to control her.The t in to is often swallowed after nuns.
It took four nuns to control her.formally warned
She says she has been put on notice that her niece will not be kept past this week, turning private trouble into procedure.
Now I'm put on notice that they won't keep her there after this week.at the earliest chance
On hearing the details, the doctor says he must see her as soon as possible, moving from negotiation to action.
It's important I see her as soon as possible.with no idea left
She puts it plainly: if the doctor cannot help, she is at her wits' end, a plea that doubles as pressure.
And help her. If you can't, I'm at my wits' end.busy developing
...my lawyers are working on the Sebastian Venable Memorial Foundation...expanding the limits of
...who are pushing out the frontiers of art and science...appositive clause: The that-clause spells out the possibility rather than describing it.
There's a strong possibility that the patient will always be limited.raise one's gaze
...just to be able to lift up their eyes to a sky...darkened by a mass of
...not black with savage, devouring birds.strange indeed — A slightly formal spoken exclamation of surprise.
How odd. I hadn't thought about all that in years.「Violet Describes Catherine's Madness」を読み解く
What's really going on
The scene is a battle over how to tell a story. Violet wants the doctor to cut into Catherine's brain, so she builds a case in which madness is a kind of filth and surgery is mercy: 'what a blessing to them, doctor, to be just peaceful.' She repeats the clinical words — dementia praecox, obsession, memory — as if they were neutral, even lovely: 'Such a pretty name for a disease.' But her language keeps slipping. She describes a face lacerated by memory, and a sky 'black with savage, devouring birds,' then claims she cannot remember saying it. The doctor catches the slip, and so does the audience: the mother who has a 'financial problem' is really trying to buy silence. The horror of the film arrives first as a figure of speech.
Theme
DeceptionViolet packages a lobotomy as a blessing and hides her real motive behind elegant language.
SecretsHer slip about 'savage, devouring birds' hints at a truth she is trying to bury with surgery.
このチャプターで学べること
- Diagnosis and flower names blur in her mouth.
- Charity here is a leash, not a gift.
- The doctor answers horror with procedure.
- Her own metaphor frightens her.
発音のポイント
- out of her — Out of her blurs into outta-her.
- isn't unapproachable — The t of isn't links straight into unapproachable.
- nuns to — The t in to is often swallowed after nuns.
If she isn't unapproachable and hopeless, I don't know who is.Violet insists Catherine is beyond cure, which conveniently makes the risky operation sound reasonable.
But what a blessing to them, doctor, to be just peaceful.She reframes a dangerous brain operation as a gift, arguing that peace is worth whatever is lost.
You said a sky filled with savage, devouring birds?The doctor repeats a strange image Violet let slip, testing her. It is the first crack in her careful story.
And help her. If you can't, I'm at my wits' end.Violet pleads for help while claiming total helplessness, pressing the doctor to act on her terms.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Violet want the doctor to operate on Catherine?
She says Catherine is incurably mad and that the operation is the only answer, but she also wants her silenced. The surgery would calm Catherine and stop her from repeating dangerous stories.
Why might Violet's story be unreliable?
She keeps slipping. She mentions a sky 'black with savage, devouring birds,' then says she never thought of it, which suggests she knows more about the summer's events than she admits.
What does "at my wits' end" mean?
It means having no idea what to do next, completely out of solutions. Violet uses it to say she has tried everything and now depends on the doctor.
What happened to Catherine last summer?
A Paris clinic cabled that she was out of her mind. She was sent home locked in a stateroom like an animal and taken straight to St. Mary's, where she has been since.
What does the operation actually do?
The doctor says it can relieve acute anxiety and make patients peaceful, but it carries great risk and may leave them permanently limited. Violet calls that peace a blessing.
去年の夏 突然に · 全 27 章
すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 6 章in the image ofMrs. Venable Tells the Turtle Story
第 1 章command performanceA Doctor, a Letter, and Money
第 2 章goddess from the machineMrs. Venable Meets Dr. Cukrowicz
第 3 章not unlikeMrs. Venable Shows the Garden
第 4 章mad as a hatterViolet Talks About Her Dead Son
再生中 · 第 5 章at one's wits' endViolet Describes Catherine's Madness
第 6 章in the image ofMrs. Venable Tells the Turtle Story
第 7 章my lips are sealedThe Hollys Come for Sebastian's Clothes
第 8 章inherit the earthMrs. Venable's Empty Chair
第 9 章bossed and bulliedThe Doctor Interviews Catherine
第 10 章to be usedCatherine on Love as Use
第 11 章make a sceneCatherine Recalls the Mardi Gras Ball
第 12 章burn upCatherine Relives the Burning Beach
第 13 章no strings attachedHockstader Shows Off the Million
第 14 章go through probateThe Hollys Visit Catherine
第 15 章go off your rockerCatherine Learns It's a Lobotomy
第 16 章all of a suddenCatherine Asks Where They'll Cut
第 17 章on the menuCatherine on Sebastian's Appetites
第 18 章taken a vowViolet Shows the Death Certificate
第 19 章objects for your pleasureCatherine Confronts Aunt Violet
第 20 章the other way aroundDoctor Fights to Delay the Surgery
第 21 章godforsakenMrs. Venable and the Sealed Coffin
第 22 章have to do withThe Doctor Hypnotizes Catherine
第 23 章third personCatherine Tells the True Story
第 24 章give someone awayViolet Explains the Spider's Web
第 25 章procureCatherine on Procuring for Sebastian
第 26 章fatal errorCatherine Recalls the Beach Children
第 27 章find a way outCatherine Tells How Sebastian Died第 5 / 27 章 · 残り約 73 分