“Madness in its Place”: Ecofeminism in Janet Frame’s Faces in the Water

In the twentieth century, placingmadwomen in mental institutions was considered acivilised and progressive idea. Mental institutions were saidto provide a soothing and calming environment for the patients in order to help them heal. However, Istina Mavet, the (mad)woman protagonist ofNew Zealand author Janet Frame’s Faces in the Water(1961), records her unforgettable experiences of being locked up at the Cliffhaven and Treecroft Mental Institutionsfor being “different”. The material space of themental institutionsinfluences Istina’s emotions and further distresses her. The aesthetic spaceof the mental establishmentis superseded by itsoppressive material space, which facilitates containment and exercises control over its femaleinmates. Hence, the healing process serves as a form of punishment to inmates.The spatial separation of the madwomen in the mental institution mirrors their patriarchal oppression. The comfort of the patients is pushed aside and their natural surroundings ignored. This paper adopts the new materialism approach as acomplementto its ecofeminist perspective. It examines the “healing spaces”that have ironically affected the inmates’ mental well-being and disrupted the recoveryprocess. It argues that although Istina islabelled a “madwoman,”she challenges the notion of “sanity” by displaying a sense of realismin her narration and by usingit as a strategy for survival. Madness is therefore perceivedas part of her “landscape” toaid her identity construction.