It appears that Laura’s first mental distortion started when she was but six years old, and took rest only for it to flourish at age nineteen, approximately thirteen years after the loss of her mother. The reason why this mental disorder has been able to gain control over Laura could be as a coping mechanism to help herself feel less lonely or forsaken by those around her, specially her father. Destined to rot alone in a secluded castle has left her mind with no other way of handling the situation. Particular identities emerge in specific circumstances. “Alternative identities take control in sequence, one at the expense of the other. Transitions from one identity to another are often triggered by psychosocial stress” (Savoy 4). So, it is safe to say that Laura’s version of her father is but a fragment of the person she once knew and know so scarcely remembers hence why the times where he appears are barely relevant and the actions made by his character seem unimportant, very much unlike a father figure normally acts. Madame Perrodon, and Mademoiselle De Lafontaie are just female counterparts created with the sole purpose of company, specially Carmilla, who of them all influenced Laura …show more content…
A person who suffers from occasional seizures knows the piercing pain they can sometimes feel after an episode is over, whether it be in the neck or in the chest. This brings in another point in which explains the pain Laura felt above her breast whenever she felt she was being “bitten”. Let’s say Laura was indeed epileptic. When Laura’s first experiences this pain, she states that after seeing the beautiful lady she felt immediately delightfully soothed, and then proceeded to sleep once again, which can be when her seizure started, and she suddenly states, “I was wakened by a sensation as if two needles ran into my breast very deep at the same moment, and I cried loudly” (Le Fanu ch. 2). Now this can be a good explanation as to why she had felt a sudden pain while still being tucked in her bed. Mental illnesses are much more than psychological disorders, these can affect both a person’s mind and body causing someone, who lacks treatment, to feel utterly helpless and desperate. She was but a child at this time with no graps of what was happening, what was real and what was not. Having a child scream in the middle of the night will leave on edge anyone who’s responsible for her wellbeing, which is why when everyone came into the room they all were more that spooked. It is understandable, fear in their eyes, as seen by Laura, was merely an