An examination of the mythological allusions in Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient and The Maidens

The present study examines the use of myths in Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient (2019) and The Maidens (2021). It is argued that Alicia’s silence in The Silent Patient not only parallels Alcestis’ silence but also empowers Alicia to achieve justice for the oppression caused by male domination, thereby questioning the assumed self-sacrifice imposed on women and subverting the Martyr archetype that Alcestis in mythology embodies. It is also posited that the analogy between the sacrifices of Persephone and Iphigenia and the murders of the Maidens in The Maidens accounts for Mariana’s suspicions that the Maidens are methodically murdered by Fosca, a patriarchal figure who dominates them. Thus, the Maiden archetype is subverted in the novel since it manifests helplessness and vulnerability. Additionally, it is argued that the allusion to the myth of Medea, who represents the trickster archetype, serves the plotline because it is employed to unravel the mystery in the novel, revealing the true culprit, who turns out to be a victim of subordination as well. Accordingly, the study contends that the mythological references present a framework to analyze the mysteries in Michaelides’ selected novels; moreover, their employment proves relevant in challenging the ideological assumption of male domination.