Review ‘The Milligan Wars’

Posted by: aurorastevani on: November 27, 2009

• In: Pengetahuan
• Comment!

         Some of people think that Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is myth but through ‘The Milligan Wars’ we could find out why someone could have MPD or now known as Dissociative Personality Disorder (DID). We all know here to examine the patient that have MPD is not a simple case, but it becomes clearer after the case of Sybill and Billy Milligan. Nowadays even there a lot of people think that MPD is just an act to fool police or the law. At least if you act like an insane then you will get released and free from all charge in the court. Some of people really do that, and soon or later, the police through Physiatrist will catch it up and found out the truth. However, MPD wouldn’t be cured without a continue and long therapist. It is actually so hard to believe that someone could have MPD because it needs a long time to study it.

            The Milligan Wars is one of the perfect books that concern and answer the entire question about someone that have multiple personality disorder. Because it’s not just tell us the true story of William Stanley Milligan or known as Billy Milligan that struggle to unite all the personality, but also brings the thriller throughout describe every detail of the circumstances, environment, and the surround people. Something that so interesting from the book is how the writer here reveals every single piece of what happened in Billy’s life to unite all of the personalities. Daniel Keyes is one of the great writers that already made a lot of masterpiece. Before ‘The Milligan Wars’, he wrote ‘The touch’, The fifth Sally, and ‘Unveiling Claudia’. ‘The Milligan Wars’ have received a lot of positive comments, such as from Los Angeles Time “Wonderful sequel…” and from The New York Times Book Review “What a complicated sequel that revealed so perfectly…”. So from that review, this book is already have a good response from the society.

            Every single word in this book had been made so seductively and could give an answer about MPD that the entire time is guessed as a myth. It’s a powerful masterpiece that reveals every detail and so touchy that concern about sadness and craziness of Billy Milligan.

            It begins concern about the early life of Billy Milligan when he first known as MPD patient because raping a three collage student from Ohio State University. Therefore, in 1977 he kidnapped three women from campus area, raped them and said that part of him did it for affection. The judge has stated that Billy Milligan was found guilty based on physical evident, fingerprint, and identification. But then the young public defenders found something wrong from Billy. Moreover, he sends Billy to South-west Community Mental Health Center in Columbus in order to check on Billy’s mental health. And finally physiologist expert Dorothy Turner realized that Billy is a multiple personality disorder patient. The evidence showed that Billy Milligan committed the crimes but also he wasn’t responsible for them. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jay Flowers found him not guilty by reason insanity and sent him to the Athens Mental health Center in the southeastern Ohio collage town. Dorothy Turner found 10 personalities of Billy, there are :

1. William Stanley Milligan (“Billy”), 26. The real personality of Billy or earlier known as unfused Billy and Billy-U. Got expelled from high school , height 180 cm, weight 86 kg, blue eyes, and brown hair.
2. Arthur, 22, British. Rational, less of emotion, speaks with British accent, learn sciences and chemistry. Good in speak and writing Arab language. He’s the one who found out first about the existence of the other personality. In addition, in the safe place he’s the one who charge and decide who’s gonna take the main place and control consciousness of Billy. He is wearing glasses.
3. Ragen Vadascovinich, 23. The ruler of anger. ‘Ragen’ word is coming from ‘rage again’. A Yugoslavian, speak English with Yugoslavian accent, he’s a firearm expert and he could use a magnificent power by using Adrenalin hormone. His job is to protect family, woman, and children. He could dominate consciousness if he’s in danger situation. He ever has criminal action and violence stuff. Weight 95 kg, black hair, big arms, big mustache, and he’s color-blind.
4. Allen, 18. Trusted man, so manipulative, and he’s the one who always face the outside world. He’s agnostic and have a motto ‘Use your life wisely in this world”, he’s also the drummer and could draw a face portrait and he’s the one who smoke and right-handed. Weight 75 kg.
5. Tommy, 16. The brilliant one, he could get away from every key and tie or we can say an escape artist. Some of people thinks that he’s Allen, usually act unfriendly and ready to fight also anti-social. He could play saxophone and electronic expert. He also could paint a nature view. He’s blonde hair and brown eyes.
6. Danny, 14. A child who always freaked out, afraid of men. He was forced to dig his own grave then be buried in grave alive. He just could paint an unmovable object. He’s blonde hair, blue eyes, short and thin.
7. David, 8. He’s the one who can hold a pain from another personality. Always confuse, he’s got dark brown hair, blue eyes, and little.
8. Christene, 3. Known as the corner girl because she used to sit in corner of the room. She’s British and brilliant, she could write and read but unfortunately she has reading disorder. She’s fond of draw and give a color for flower and butterfly. She got blonde hair and blue eyes.
9. Christopher, 13. He’s Christene’s brother. He speaks with a British accent and easy to control. His hair is brown with a little blonde-haired like Christene.
10. Adalana, 19. She’s a lesbian. Quite shy, lonely, and introvert. She likes to write a poem, cooking, and clean the house for another personality. She has a long black hair like a rough spin-wool. Her eyes is brown and likes to move left to right and right to left so that’s exactly why she’s known as the dancing eyes.

Therefore, from here we absolutely can find out that one personality to another have a different background, accent, interest, talent even different sex. And one thing that we never expect is Billy realize the existence of 10 personality but every single time when he change to a different personality, he never know what happened before that. But Dr. David Caul at the Athens Mental Health center found out another 14 personalities that be forced by Arthur cause he doesn’t even like how they behave. They are :

1. Phillip, 20. The bad guy.
2. Kevin, 20. The evil planner.
3. Walter, 22. An Australian, good in decides a direction.
4. April, 19. The bitch, always concern about revenge.
5. Samuel, 18. Jewish and the only one who believes in God.
6. Mark, 16. The zombie who takes all of the orders.
7. Steve, 21. the guy who always imitating people for fun.
8. Lee, 18. The comedian.
9. Jason, 13. The one who brings out the high pressure.
10. Robert (Bobby), 17. The dreamer.
11. Shawn , 4. The deaf one.
12. Martin, 19. The snob guy.
13. Timothy (Timmy), 15. The guy who likes to go to his own world.He’s so brilliant HHhvJHJGFJggbvdhkbgdhkbdshgds

And the 24^th personality is called ‘The Teacher’, He’s so brilliant and have a good taste of humor. He’s the one who have taught and encouraged the other personalities to develop their talent. The teacher would appear if all of the personalities have fused. Dr. Caul wanted to treat Milligan by ‘fusing’ him exactly combining his personality into one, But it turned out Milligan was already fused in a personality that known as The teacher. It means that Billy is not really often rule the main place and control consciousness. Moreover, some people that often control consciousness are Allen and Arthur, beside that, another 22 personalities rule in some occasion when they’re really needed.

After Athens Mental Health, Billy was sent to Lima state hospital that make Billy’s life is more and more worse, and the journey to unite all the personalities has begun. We could see how Daniel Keyes made a spectacular description for the circumstances of this Hell jail. And how Billy Milligan struggle to survive in a very cruel place with a maximum security.

What we also could found from this book is that sexual abuse and nightmare in past-time caused Milligan’s personality to splinter and psychiatrists said from that point Billy ran into troubles almost everywhere. Through this book we could learn and found out the real life of Billy Milligan as a MPD patient in Lima state hospital and how the 24 personality worked together to get out from that grim place.

            Of course, Billy Milligan has influenced the global world about Multiple Personality case, and also brings a bright contribution about MPD case, not just for the reader but also for a mental expert and psychiatrists. He deliver a perfect sequel about MPD patient that inside their heart, they also wanted to have a normal life. It’s a strong book that could make the society realize that MPD patient could be cured by a long therapist not violence, drugs, and even maximum security that could make it worse.

Therefore, this book is way-way to good describing the whole life of Billy when he still claimed as a MPD patient.

            So if you really want to learn or even just want to find out how’s exactly the life of MPD patient you should take a look of this book. You also would understand why Billy Milligan want to survive and finally found out the fused Billy, The Teacher leads Billy to normal life.