Clem and Liv; A Narrative Duality

(Clem on the left, and Olivier on the right)

The theme of duality plays a role in Bitter Medicine. The memoir is split into two parts, the text and the illustrations. In the first part of the memoir, the illustrations accompany the text in a harmonious way. The reader is aware that Clem is the narrator. However, there is a turning point where the narration branches off into two parallel paths. The writing that coincides with the illustrations subtly separate, in terms of its point of view. The illustrations talk in the first person and the text talks in the third person. Eventually, it is evident that the text is being narrated by Clem and the illustration’s texts are being narrated by Liv, who has schizophrenia. This split is realized and recognizable soon after Clem says that Liv is diagnosed with schizophrenia. This is interesting because everything before Liv’s mental condition, the text and the illustrations, they were seamlessly harmonic. But now there are two perspectives which now the reader questions if the perspective of Liv is reliable given his condition. This is confirmed when Clem says that Liv got a job as a night watchman, and the corresponding illustration text read “I was working as a night watchman.” (Clem 100). Liv working at night and Clem working during the day adds to this duality split as a symbol between the two at this point of the memoir.