Response #7

The system of Dr. Tarr and prof. Fether is a very strange story compared to all the novels we’ve read so far. Very unique if I may so. This story illustrates lots of bizarre, ridiculous scenery. It brought my attention that when the narrator visited this mental institution, he realized that the “system of soothing” is no longer practiced and apparently it was very popular and successful. Malliard, his traveling companion, explains that this specific strategy is no longer used because it was replaced by a much stricter strategy created by Dr.Tarr and prof. Fether. Because apparently, the system of soothing granted a little too much freedom for the patients and caused them to rebel against the doctors. I personally felt that it was a better choice to have a stricter system because I think of it as if a child is granted too much freedom, then the child feels empowered to do what he/she wants. And that’s what ended up happening because these people are lunatics. Just based on what happened right after Malliard was explaining to the narrator what led to such absurd actions, the people at the dinner table were these psychotic lunatics that broke out. The part that brought soothing relief to me is when the narrator tells how the soothing system is reinstated at the asylum but is somehow modified to reform it. I felt like the story brought lots of suspense and very spontaneous moments that were creepy, but probably the narrator felt pity and he was interested in learning about a way that can help the mentally ill restore or at least not to revolt and to keep an order. It’s scary when you actually put yourself in the narrators place because you’re living though this chaotic moment and you feel trapped in with crazy people.