Veronika Decides To Die

The novel’s central concern is identifying normalcy and defining what it means to live outside of it. Paulo Coelho navigates this through the allegory of mental health. “Sanity” is a metaphor for normalcy, or the pressures of society to live one’s life a certain way. “Insanity” is a metaphor for living outside of normalcy, on one’s own authentic path despite the pressure to conform. This metaphor has a basis in the real-world operation of psychiatric institutions. For example, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is widely regarded as the reference book for mental health conditions. LGBTQ+ sexual identities were only fully removed from the categorization of mental health condition in the DSM in 2013.

Cultural norms and the status quo play a significant role in determining what is “pathological” and what is “normal” human functioning (See Socio-Cultural Context: Mental Health and Psychiatric Hospitals for more information). Coelho exaggerates this real-world phenomenon to suggest that every inhabitant of Villete is suffering solely from culturally determined conditions. Mental illness is an allegory that allows Coelho to investigate the boundary between what is normal and what deviates from the norm.

Veronika’s journey in Villete is a quest to discover what “normal” is and how her desires are incompatible with normalcy.