Veronika Decides To Die

Veronika awakens in Igor’s office. Her mother has already departed. She overhears Igor saying that she could live to be one hundred as she comes to, though he won’t clarify this for her. Igor asks about her episode with the piano and Eduard. He explains that, as a person with schizophrenia, Eduard lives in a “world of insanity” of his own making that is quite unlike the “real” world. Reality, Igor declares, is a consensus of the majority.

He uses the example of his necktie to demonstrate this idea to Veronika. Igor believes that “sane” people accept a necktie as-is; one must wear a necktie when working professionally. An “insane” person would call it a “ridiculous, useless bit of colored cloth” (87). The “sane” tacitly accept reality, assuming things must have  purpose, while the “insane” question everything and refuse to accept reality at face value. Igor then explains Vitriol to Veronika; Vitriol results from a lack of emotions, both positive or negative, and a meaningless, “safe” daily routine. Igor suggests that this Vitriol causes somebody’s “sanity” to slip.

Internally, Igor compares his idea of Vitriol to Sigmund Freud’s idea of the libido, which also does not literally exist within the body.