Darkness Visible

Styron uses metaphors to describe depression, since he considers his experience to be indescribable. Of these metaphors, which is the most visceral and evocative? Which one stayed with you after you finished the text? Why?

In the memoir, Styron is the only person who is fully present and rounded. The rest of the key figures, including his wife, are only mentioned in passing and only as they enhance the narrative. Why do you think Styron does this? Which person aside from the author would you like to learn more about and why?

Who do you think is the intended audience for this memoir? Now, decades after it was released, who do you think needs to read it? Why?

What stance does Styron take on the issue of suicide? What do you think he wants the reader to take away? Do you agree with his stance? Why or why not?

Research the history of mental health treatment and attitudes about mental illness. How has it changed over time? How does this research supplement what you learned about Styron’s experience in the memoir? How does it compare to mental health treatment today?

Choose one of the real people whom Styron mentions in the memoir and research them. What information does Styron give? What does he leave out? What other information might have been helpful to understand that individual better?

Styron’s notebook was a real artifact that he disposed of when he planned to commit suicide. What do you think the notebook symbolized? Why was it significant?

Consider the moment when Styron decided to ask for help instead of committing suicide. What happened to change his mind? How does that moment fit with the way suicide is understood throughout the memoir?