Wintergirls Character Analysis

Reading Wintergirls was eye-opening and heartbreaking for me because I began to understand more about the mentality behind anorexia nervosa. I always thought that individuals diagnosed with anorexia knew they should be eating, and were choosing not to because they felt they needed to stay thin. Reading this novel and reading the diagnosis in the DSM made me realize those diagnosed with anorexia sometimes don’t feel they need to eat. The idea that not eating makes them stronger and shows their strength was a new take on the disorder that I had not considered. Because I always think of food as being strength-giving, while reading Wintergirls I got to hear the inner-monologue of Leah as she tells herself to be strong and resist the food. Her inner-mantras telling herself she was strong and capable to deny food were sad, but they allowed me to understand the thoughts of someone with anorexia. Wintergirls stayed consistent with the diagnosis in the DSM-5. It discussed the restrictive energy required to lead to the extreme weight loss, the fear of gaining weight, the
Leah truly loved her sister and having Emma be the one who found her cutting and down to 80.00 pounds was almost enough to wake her up. However, Leah ran away after her hospital stay and stayed with Elijah who was instrumental in her healing. She viewed Elijah as a safe person because he was almost as messed up as she was, and that allowed her to open up to him. He left her at the motel and she was alone with her visions of Cassie and her guilt. She didn’t eat and was fading quickly, but then she began to remember things she had promised Emma she would do with her. She also figured out why Cassie couldn’t move on and gave her what she needed so she could rest in peace. The thoughts of Emma and releasing Cassie with no feelings of guilt were the things that gave Leah the strength to call her mom and desire to get