The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The diving bell and the butterfly are two motifs which function both in conflict and tandem with each other. They provide an animating tension that drives much of the text’s thematic schema. The diving bell represents several distinct, but decidedly earthbound things,which correlates to the way that locked-in syndrome fiercely constricts Bauby’s existence. At various points within the memoir, the diving bell is a metaphor for the syndrome itself, a window into Bauby’s physical experience, and a concrete representation of the barrier that has gone up between himself and his former life, as well as between himself and his loved ones. The butterfly, which often appears within the same passage as the diving bell, in turn represents the delicate and fragile beauty of life, from which Bauby is physically (though not emotionally nor intellectually) cut off. The butterfly, as a motif, often represents the pleasures and beauties that lie just beyond Bauby’s reach. In that sense, it functions as a stand-in for his former life, and for the vivid memories that lie, pulsing, at the edges of his consciousness, waiting to be grasped. In another sense, though, the butterfly represents the beauties and pleasures that Bauby has refused to forfeit, despite the stubborn failure of his body.