Silver Lining Case

In The Silver Linings Playbook Pat Peoples has a hard time adjusting when he returns home from the "bad place," like Pat describes. Some people laughed all the way but I didn't get that effect. I didn't cry but I was very sad for Pat. I felt sad throughout the novel because Pat never got the women he tried so hard to reconnect with, he always feared of going back to the mental institution and Pat constantly hated himself.

Before Pat went away he was married to a women named Nikki. Nikki was the love of his life. He didn't treat her right and never gave Nikki the kind of attention a wife deserves to receive. Once Pat returned home he tried to be a good person, read classic books among other things to impress Nikki when she eventually came "back".

Pat always feared of going back to the mental institution and it scared him more than anything. At times he begged his mother not to go back. He promised to be good so that he wouldn't have to go back.

I believe that Pat hated himself and that was why it was so hard for him to heal and realize some things. Pat hated the way that he treated Nikki and that is why he always tried to be nice instead of right. Pat's mother would say something that he wouldn't agree with and instead of rebutting he said something nice instead of being right. Also Nikki hated his appearance which I believe resulted in Pat hating his appearance and he went to extreme measures to make sure that once Nikki came back that she would like his appearance. Pat worked out intensely. He did 500 sit-ups at one time sometimes and when he ran he wore a garbage bag. Pat even slept in a sleeping bag zipped up to his neck so that he would sweat and lose weight. Everything that Pat did made me extremely sad. No one should ever have to go through that. In my opinion, Nikki being his wife should have loved Pat just the way that he was. If she had done then when Pat came back from the "bad place" maybe his healing process would have been a lot easier. He wouldn't have to focus on his appearance and would be able to focus more on other things.

Even though I didn't find the book funny I believe that the book provokes a wide range of emotions because not everyone is alone or fighting to get the one they love back. For someone who has the one that they loved seeing someone fight for someone who they don't see anymore could be funny. It seems mean and cruel, but we live in a cruel and mean world. For someone who is going through some of the things that Pat Peoples is going through its sad and makes them realize just how alone they are.