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Furiously Happy By Jenny Lawson Character Analysis

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The impact of mental health on today's population is widespread and immense, but is it possible to represent the hardships of depression and anxiety comedically? Various examples are displayed in Jenny Lawson’s biography, Furiously Happy. Currently, mental illness is portrayed in a rather somber and grey light, especially, depression and social anxiety. This belief is actively challenged by Jenny Lawson, an author who suffers from depression and social anxiety. As discussed in Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson portrays her mental illnesses by using real-life stories, where she explains why she shows these illnesses in this way. Numerous people suffer from mental illness around the world. For instance, it is estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians will …show more content…

That begs the question, why is this novel so successful? This wasn't Jenny Lawson’s first time on the New York Times Bestsellers list, however. Her first novel, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, ranked number 2 on the New York Times Bestsellers list on its debut. Her first book didn’t focus as heavily on mental health, and it was when readers were first introduced into the life of Jenny Lawson.“ There are a lot of stories that I don’t write because they aren’t mine to tell, but I think telling my stories helps to encourage putting other stories out there. When I first started writing, my father was very quiet about his own struggles, but after seeing the response of people who’ve read my stories, he’s much more open” (Lawson, 139). As seen in the quote above, one of the most apparent reactions from the audience was overwhelmingly positive. Unmistakably, the outreach of this book is widespread and touches …show more content…

While many are trying to depict mental health issues through a solemn, and tedious, approach, Jenny Lawson manages to use humour to connect with her audience. Her manipulation of comedy comes from her own experiences with mental health, and her stories stem from her depression and anxiety as well. Jenny explains in her previous book, that the reason she uses her comedy in this way is because she believes the reason for living is to enjoy it. Clearly this outlook on life has been good for her so far, both books she has published managed to make it onto the New York Times Bestsellers list. As well as financial success, she has also experienced success in her personal life, as she has a loving family who loves and supports her. Not only is this method of approaching mental illness successful, but it is also touches the hearts of many. This shows that the way we have been presenting mental health issues, isn’t the only affluent way to depict mental illness. Jenny Lawson actively challenges the conventional ways of handling with mental health, she in fact does the opposite. If this method of using comedy for such a serious topic is so profitable, why don’t we see it more

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