Movie Snake Pit

In the movie “Snake Pit,” Virginia Cunningham is the main character, who is placed into a mental institution. While she is there, she goes through a lot. Her husband stays by her side every step of the way (not literally!). Throughout the movie, she makes a lot of progress, the doctors use many different treatment methods, which may or may not be used today, and the staff on each level of the hospital are each different. The difference in the nurses’ behavior may or may not have led to the recovery of patients.

Her progress through the movie hits many highs and many lows. After a while with Dr. Keet she starts to make a lot of positive progress. She tells him of things from her childhood like when her father took her mother’s side about the argument her and her mother had gotten into over a doll. She also tells him of her past that happened with Gordon, and how he died, which she thought was her fault. Then, her husband thinks Virginia is ready to come home, so he takes her case to staff, where they question her and send her into a sort of hole. After this, her progress hits rock bottom, she will not eat, she does not trust anyone, and she can hardly remember anything. After this, she does slowly progress and get well enough to leave.

Virginia underwent many treatment methods in her journey to recovery. Dr. Keet gave her psycho therapy to find out things about her past. It seemed to have worked very well since he learned about her parents and Gordon, which helped lead to her recovery. Another type of treatment he chose to use was shock therapy in hope to help her, he also put her in the tub of ice when she hit a low point in her recovery, so she might snap back into reality.

Her husband has many reactions while Virginia is in the mental institution. When she first goes in, I think he is mostly worried about her. He then gets lonely and misses her. Then he gets anxious and tries to get her to come home, too soon for her best. After he realizes Dr. Keet was right, I think he regrets his decision to send her case to staff and finally realizes that her being in the institution is for her own good, and is, in the end, going to help her.

The staff on each floor/level of the mental institution, which Virginia is placed in, all act differently. Each of the