The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 8:11PM
By Jean-Dominique Bauby
Jean-Dominique Bauby was on top of the world as the editor-in-chief of French magazine Elle when a stroke left him with a cruel condition known as locked-in-syndrome. At only 43 years old, Jean was completely paralyzed, rendered incapable of moving or even speaking. With his mind intact, Jean became “imprisoned inside his own body.” The circumstances of Jean’s injury made communication with the outside world a painstakingly arduous process. However, Jean, driven by pure determination, rose to the challenge and conquered the seemingly impossible task of penning a memoir. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly exemplifies the extraordinary accomplishments humans are capable of when confronted with unimaginable hardship.
In his biography, Jean focuses mainly on life after his injury and he vividly describes the pains and joys of someone living with locked-in syndrome. While painting a picture of his daily struggles, Jean shows us the height of the mountain he had to climb to compose a book of his own words. With his right eyelid sewn shut due to an infection, Jean could only communicate by blinking his left eye. The letters of the alphabet were ordered according to their frequency of use in French and were read to him one by one. Jean would blink his eye when the letter he wanted was reached. Jean’s speech therapist, Sandrine, who he refers to as his “Guardian Angel," would spend hours laboring over their system of communication and, in essence, listening to his story. Before Sandrine’s arrival, as Jean writes, “In my head I churn over every sentence ten times, delete a word, add an adjective, and learn my text by heart, paragraph by paragraph.”
On top of presenting the amazing work of an inspiring man, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly also reminds us all to stop and appreciate the beauty of every day life. In the many letters that Jean received, it was descriptions of the “small slices of life,” the “roses picked at dusk, the laziness of a rainy Sunday, a child crying himself to sleep,” that allowed him to free himself of the oppression and let his mind fly like a butterfly.
Book review by Greg McGee, contact him at gmcgee@minutesformemories.org
Minutes for Memories
In 2007, director Julian Schnabel adapted Bauby’s memoir into the movie Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). While we recommend reading the book itself, this movie certainly provides an impressive and artistic rendition. In a powerful way, it helps us all witness Bauby’s experience first-hand.
Although filmed with French audio, the English subtitles are well done and easy to follow. Rated PG-13 for some adult scenes and content, the movie is geared towards an older crowd (please watch once before showing a younger audience).
Check out the trailer below and read some reviews of the movie on Rotten Tomatoes. Le Scaphandre et le Papillon is available for purchase or rent on iTunes.