2. Record your views about why mental illness takes some people into other worlds 4. What foreshadowing is there of Alicia's increasing mental instability? Why couldn't her younger sister help her? 6. Many readers prefer an entertaining story with a happy end- ing to a story such as "Alicia." What possible value is there in reading a sad story with an unhappy ending? Discuss

Mental illness can take on many forms. In the short story "Alicia," Gabrielle Roy explores the experiences of a family dealing with schizophrenia. Alicia's mental illness has caused her to lose touch with reality. Her family witnesses her doing things, such as hiding in a cupboard or dressing in a white gown and throwing rose petals out the window, which indicate that she is acting from an altered reality. It becomes clear to them that Alicia has gone, in her mind, to another world.
There is foreshadowing of Alicia's developing delusions early in her sister's remembrances of their childhood together. In one instance the author remembers sitting on the ground among the oak trees and telling her sister that when she grows up she "would do fine and beautiful things." Alicia's reaction to the childhood optimism is unusual and unexpected. Alicia becomes visibly saddened, comments that "one says that, and then one never accomplishes anything except paltry things of no account," and begins to cry. Then she scoops up her little sister like a baby and begins to rock her as she laments all the hurt and sadness in the world. This unusual and extreme response is a taste of the mental illness which will later consume her and transport her deep into the "other world."
Eventually, Alicia's family decides to send her to a mental hospital. In one last attempt at drawing her back into reality, Alicia's mother and little sister visit her there. A beautiful moment occurs when Alicia recognizes the voice of her little sister, and "joy floods her face as if it were the sun." Unfortunately, the miracle her parents are hoping for does not last long. With the recognition of her sister, Alicia also comes face to face with the truth of the despair she has caused her family and immediately withdraws to "a far shore," never to return to sanity. She dies a few months later. Obviously, the ending is heartbreaking. The preference of most readers, just like the preference of every family who watches a loved one suffer from mental health issues, is for the miracle cure. We are rooting for Alicia to recognize her family, to hold on to reality, and to fight for wellness and health. However, there is value in a story told realistically. There is value in stories that don't end "happily ever after," because we can identify with the characters. Readers can empathize with the struggle, heartbreak, hope, and ultimate devastation the family experiences.