Paper Summary:

The paper relates that John Nash, the protagonist in the film "A Beautiful Mind", was a mathematician of note before he experienced the horrors of schizophrenia and would come back to win the Nobel Prize in his field. The paper discusses the disorder of schizophrenia and the experiences of Nash and points out that, while not everyone will recover like Nash, his story offers hope to those who may themselves be afflicted. The paper points out further that schizophrenia is a more complex illness than the film shows, yet the film still suggests that it can happen to anyone and that such people remain human and in need of understanding.

From the Paper:

"The film A Beautiful Mind (2001, Ron Howard) presents a true story of mental disease and its effects on a man and his family. Many people view mental illness as if it were a sign of a weak mind. The story of John Nash belies that idea and demonstrates that mental illness can happen to anyone and that what is needed if greater understanding of the issue. No one can view Nash as a man who is less intelligent because he is mentally ill. He was a mathematician of note before he experienced the horrors of schizophrenia and would come back to win the Nobel Prize in his field. The film might have the unfortunate effect of bolstering the view of some that academics are close to insanity in any case because they are different from everyone else, but the way the story is told in the film only illustrates the greater truth that Nash is much like everyone else except for a period of time when he was suffering from an illness, not a defect."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Howard, Ron. A Beautiful Mind. Universal Pictures, 2001.
• Scott, A.O. "From Math to Madness, and Back." The New York Times (21 Dec 2001). May 5, 2008. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE7D6103EF932A15751C1A9679C8B63.

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