Should Mr.Lisbon Feel Guilty?

Wed, March 23rd, 2011

I was asked a question regarding my second last blog on the guilt of a father. I was asked whether I think Mr. Lisbon should feel guilty? What effect does guilt have on someone? After thinking for some days I finally have the answer to the question. 

I do indeed think that Mr. Lisbon should feel guilty regarding Cecilia's death. The atmosphere in the Lisbon house was not a good one and I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon will like to say otherwise. The parents come off as controlling and religious. They do not give their girls freedom and by not giving them freedom it results in the girls’ lack of self-confidence and the girls are not very interactive outside of the household. If you think about it why does someone commit suicide? Usually it is because of love or a current problem in their life. In this case I bet Cecilia was fed up with her life and how everything was. She probably did not like the way she was cramped inside the house. Even the party that her parents allowed the girls’ to throw after Cecilia was realeased from the hospital consisted of them being there. Those girls were old enough to have a chaperone free party. However, because the parents are so strict, over protective and do not trust their daughters enough they were at the party. Any teenager today would find it awkward if they were to have a party with their parents in the home. Maybe the girls also felt they could not talk about anything with their parents. For instance when Lux wanted to go out with a boy named Trip she did not have enough courage to go and tell her parents about him and talk to them about him freely. Trip had to come over and ask about the date and even then the closest thing he got to a date was sitting beside Lux in the living room couch and a quick sneaky make out session in his car. Kids do not go away from their parents but rather parents push their kids away. Did Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon ever think that all their daughters wanted was more comfort from them, more independence or if they could be those type of parents where their daughters could come and talk to them about their problems; then the daughters would never have wanted to take their own lives. Teen years are supposed to be handled with care because if they are not then families’ lives can take drastic turns.

Guilt can have some serious effects on people. Guilt can result in despising yourself thinking that it was your own fault the other person committed the act, severe depression or can even result in another person committing suicide. In this case, Mr. Lisbon is visioning Cecilia's spirit everywhere. That only tends to happen if the person knows they’re guilty. Guilt can leave someone with livelong damage and can eventually drive a person insane. Guilt can also make you despise yourself in such a way that it becomes painful to even see your own reflection in the mirror.