Plot: Self harming with the tin of soup

Plot: Self-harming with the Tin of Soup

This scene in The Trick is to Keep Breathing reveals a dire moment in Joy’s mental health journey, where she harms herself after a disheartening encounter with the Health Visitor.
In an attempt to gain control and feel something tangible, Joy intentionally cuts herself with a tin of soup, associating pain with a perverse kind of relief.
This self-harming episode indicates a tipping point in Joy’s condition, reflecting her inability to cope with her despair and isolation.

There are no traditional social interactions in this scene; Joy is alone. However, her interaction with the tin of soup - a mundane, everyday object - becomes a manifestation of her inner turmoil.
The moment signifies the extreme disconnect Joy feels between her psychological pain and the world around her, thus resulting in self-harm.
The intent behind the act, as well as the act itself, signifies her struggle for control over the whirlpool of emotions she’s confronted with.

Joy’s self-harming behaviour underlines the depth of her despair, revealing the extent to which she feels trapped by her own mental illness.
The scene reinforces the theme of isolation - physically and emotionally - in the novel, showing how Joy’s solitary pain pushes her towards self-destruction.
The act of self-harm underscores the broader theme in Janice Galloway’s commentary on mental health - the need for nuanced understanding and empathetic support for those battling mental illness.

Mental Illness: Joy’s self-harm is the outcome of her deteriorating mental health, a not-so-subtle juxtaposition of her physical pain to her emotional suffering.
Isolation: The absence of others during Joy’s act of self-harm underscores her profound feelings of isolation, both societal and self-imposed.
Control: By transposing her emotional turmoil into physical pain, Joy attempts to regain a semblance of control.

“I took the tin to my wrist. It was an effort to press hard, against all the instincts…“ - Galloway uses graphic detail to depict the struggle of Joy’s internal battle against self-preserving instincts.
“Nobody was there to stop me. I made myself look.” - This quote encapsulates Joy’s crushing isolation and her willingness to confront her own actions.