Eliot Crane

        The concept of harmony seems to be the ultimate goal within our lives. We want it all and we want it to work together. When things don't go our way, the universe gives us a little push and we are reminded that nothing is completely perfect, and that’s ok. When we are dealing with a harmony imbalance on a small scale, it is an annoyance. But what happens when we are faced with the threat of a small push knocking us down for good. This is what the characters in Salman Rushdie’s short story “The Harmony of the Spheres” face. Eliot Crane fluctuates from “passive and inert” to “raging and violent, filled with guilt and despair” due to schizophrenia. The idea of maintaining a harmonious environment for all those involved with Eliot turns out to be a long and failing battle.
        The portrayal of mental illness projected by Rushdie has a dual nature. Eliot Crane has a wife, writes novels and seems to be a normal person living an average life. Another part of Eliot Crane is unstable, compulsive, mentally chaotic and enjoys driving on the wrong side of the freeway blindfolded. Salman Rushdie shows someone with a mental disorder living together with others who are illness free. Eliot is not on the streets or crippled to the point of permanent dementia by his illness. His friends work around his episodes and find a way to balance the demands of Eliot’s overactive mind with their own consistent strands of thought. Elliot is accepted as having an “an illness like any other.” Until the day he finally put his brain to rest, the people who cared about him accepted him as he was. His episodes of unbalance were the product of uncontrolled chemical imbalances and the misfiring of neurons. The clinical explanation of his condition is easily accepted by his loved ones because of his ability to retain a balance between the unsound and the infallible.
        This proposed interpretation of mental illness eventually causes a disruption within the spheres when Eliot cannot withstand his illness anymore and commits suicide. His friends are shocked at this act of impulsive disregard. Eliot was not viewed as a danger and therefore his oddities were allowed and socially accepted. The misinterpretation of the severity of his situation was overlooked because, today in our society the pharmaceutical solutions to disease or illness are the only viable options. Much like with alcoholism, abuse, abandonment and drug addiction, mental illness is thrown into a grey area of problems that we do not completely understand. We cannot understand these problems because we do not know for certain why they happen, or how mental illness is acquired. We have explanations for nearly every ailment imposing on our right to a healthy, long life. If we are not physically sick, then shouldn’t we be perfectly happy? That’s the crux of the matter when it comes to problems like Eliot’s.  The unknown is a dangerous place, and we make efforts to contain and thwart the efforts of diseases and problems we know how to fix. The fact of the matter is Eliot Crane was far worse off than his friends knew, however it was not seen because it was not understood.
        Rushdie showcases the serious problem of mental illness and some of the coping mechanisms. Pharmaceutical solutions are employed and eventually acceptance of the problem. I cannot honestly say how I think society should deal with the issue of mental illness, because like most others, I do not fully understand it. The dangers of mental illness are nearly impossible to judge. What is to say someone who is schizophrenic should be in society, and another should be locked up? The logistic nature of society makes this a very difficult issue to handle. We have tests to judge is someone is driving under the influence, and test to determine what kind of college a student will attend. Metal detectors in airports warn of concealed weapons, while security tags in sores warn of shoplifters. What kind of a system could possibly be employed that maintains the balance between personal freedom and public safety?
        Overall, the harmony of the spheres between the mentally distressed and the greater of society is a difficult situation. Salman Rushdie shows what seems to be a very typical tale of mental illness causing a devastating disruption in the lives of those suffering from the disease, and their loved ones. The general consensus of how to maintain a balance concerning the problem of mental illness is an entirely grey area. The lack of public understanding coupled with our dependency on pharmaceuticals to solve all ailments makes the issue difficult to solve. Eliot Crane is merely one casualty of this problem. The spheres may never exist in harmony when it comes to mental illness.