The narrator, Susanna Kaysen, was sitting in the hospital's living room with her friends, watching television, and examining her hand. She noticed that the bones on her knuckles show but the bones between her knuckles and wrist do not. She cannot see them nor can she feel them. She feels something but feels like it is not a bone. She begins scratching her hand in order to rip off some of her skin to try to find her bones. She questions whether she has bones or not and she questions her humanity. She finally scratches some skin off and begins bleeding. Her roommate, Georgina, calls the nurse and Susanna is given medicine. Before this incident, a patient had come to the hospital who was from Mexico and despised where she lived. Torrey, the patient, wanted to be away from all the drugs and her parents' abuse, and the hospital was her only hope. She believed that all Mexico was horrible, and she was a drug addict. In order to stay at the hospital, one had to be mentally ill. Torrey's parents did not want to pay for the hospital so they made her go back to Mexico, in their household. The hospital symbolized safety to the patients. Leaving the hospital meant no more protection. Susanna's hand incident was the first event where the readers see her finally act out. After, even she realized she was for sure mentally ill, which meant she stays at the hospital, and is safe.
Imagery and Symbolism