I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (Themes)

Themes

Fear

Fear is apparent in almost every scene of Greenberg's I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. There are less intense examples, such as with the protagonist's sister, Suzy, who fears the loss of love of her parents, and more intense instances, such as the massive and consuming fear that the protagonist must face in her battle against her illness.

Suzy's fears may cause her to feel at times somewhat insecure or maybe jealous of her sister, but these emotions affect her interpretation of her life and possibly create quirks in Suzy's personality. Deborah's fears, by contrast, are debilitating. They threaten her existence, leading her to hide in the shadows of her subconscious mind, which contorts reality to the point that Deborah has trouble functioning. Deborah's fears also drive her to drastic measures, to the point of causing herself physical harm. Her fears terrorize her and have the power to suggest to her that the best way to avoid them is for her to take her own life.

Fear also affects Deborah's parents. They fear they have made the wrong decision in sending Deborah to the mental hospital. They also worry that they have caused their daughter's illness. On a more superficial level, they fear what people will say when the news of Deborah's condition is made public.

The story illustrates both the destruction that fear can cause as well as the strength that is required to diminish and control it. The author may intend to encourage others to face their own fears. Clearly, Greenberg wanted to present a picture of mental illness from the inside looking out, so readers might better understand that behind the faces of people who suffer from mental illness are minds struggling to free themselves from irrational and debilitating fear.

Mental Illness

Mental illness is often perplexing to mentally well-adjusted people. The science of psychiatry in the 1950s was young in some ways, and patients suffering from mental illnesses were often shut away from the view of healthy people. In focusing on the process of mental illness as well as the journey from illness to mental health, Greenberg sheds light on an otherwise dark subject. She provides a picture of people who exist sometimes behind their illnesses and at other times are so enmeshed by the symptoms of their illness that they lose contact with the real world. But even in some of the most severe cases of mental illness, Greenberg shows the intelligence, empathy, and intuitive understanding that mentally ill patients can have. This picture provides readers with a chance to view mentally ill patients differently than in the wild, harried images that Jacob, Deborah's father, for example, has of them. Through Deborah's story, Greenberg implies that mental illness is a coping strategy for some people, a way of managing their demons. She also makes clear that many patients engage actively in their own recovery and have a fighting chance to live normal lives.

Deceit

An important theme is delivered through Dr. Fried's treatment of Deborah: honesty builds trust in relationships and is essential in treating mental illness. Much of Deborah's confusion lies in the fact that she is intelligent enough to understand what is going on around her, but she often becomes disturbed when what she knows does not match what she is told. Doctors tell her, for instance, that her operation will not hurt, but Deborah experiences a lot of pain. Deborah's mother assures her that if Deborah is nice to her peers, the children will be nice to her. However, Deborah is rejected and taunted by her peers. Deborah's parents insist to Deborah and to other members of the family that everything is good when Deborah does not feel good at all. Quite the contrary, she feels miserable, lost, and bewildered.

Being honest, Greenberg implies, has a healing effect; it creates congruity. Most of the adults around Deborah are deceitful, in one way or the other. Deborah is not able to find a way out of her confusion until she meets Dr. Fried. The honesty and trust in Deborah's relationship with Dr. Fried allows Deborah to expose her real feelings. Through Dr. Fried's complete honesty Deborah learns to trust the doctor and find her way to health.