Delirium

Lena is the 17-year-old protagonist and narrator of the novel. She describes herself as plain, average, and “in-between” (15). She often compares herself to her best friend, Hana, whom Lena sees as beautiful and normal. Lena is initially excited to be “cured” of the natural, human ability to love because she sees this coming-of-age procedure as an escape from being average and awkward. Her insecurities thus fuel her initial desire to embrace this artificial “cure” as though it will somehow cure her of all the awkwardness that childhood represents. She initially accepts what her society has dictated to be correct and appropriate without examining it too closely; from the segregation of the “uncured” sexes and the safety of a predestined marriage and career to the abolition of all emotion from the adults in society, Lena accepts it all in the beginning, before circumstances force her to confront her own illusions and preconceptions.

Even before her climactic realizations, however, she describes her identity as sometimes split in two, between the obedient girl and the girl who feels too much. She is often ashamed to be held captive by her own heightened emotions, which make her insecurities more pronounced.