Humpty 2008

As a child, I felt sorry for Humpty who sat on a wall before having a fall. Specifically, I always wondered why all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put him back together again. I figured that he must have seriously hurt himself which, for me, always evoked feelings of sadness.

As an older child, whilst sorting things I’d out-grown to give to charity, my donation included a handmade cloth Humpty Dumpty, dressed in meticulously designed felt, blue overalls and topped with a crop of shaggy, woolen hair. Around this time, I wondered why Humpty was portrayed as an egg. After all, the nursery rhyme didn’t describe him as such. Curious.

I hadn’t thought of Humpty for years. However while attending a psychopathology lecture, an academic began her presentation on mental illness with… “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall…” In this adult context, the rhyme was presented as a metaphor for depression. That is, the point my lecturer made was that psychologists and other mental health professionals that assist individuals with debilitating illnesses such as clinical depression, at times faced difficultly figuring out (like a riddle), appropriate intervention to allow for recovery; like trying to put Humpty together again. Suddenly, I recalled my feelings of sadness for the character of Humpty and reappraised his story: confidently sitting on a wall only to have a great fall into depression or some other form of mental illness. Family, friends, doctors and therapists tried to put him together again with support and therapy but unfortunately, in Humpty’s case, to no avail. Some distressed individuals have found themselves unable to think rationally or change their behaviour to help themselves. At least Humpty had the King’s horses and men who tried to help him. With typical optimism, I hoped that somehow they eventually found a remedy.

I often reflect upon the combination of internal resilience and external support from family and friends: invaluable resources to help me through times of difficulty. Occasionally I’ve sought professional help. I practice what I preach and believe counselling is (in my personal and professional opinion) one commonsense approach toward understanding how to manage or sort out issues. This submission to the 100-art-dolls challenge is based on that reflection.

Humpty 2008 is made from papier mache with a polystyrene armature. His face, a papier mache mask, is a separate object and is fitted onto his spinal column. In the hollow of Humpty’s face, cut-out letters have been pasted to spell, Help Me: a reminder, for this Humpty sculpture, that he has the ability to always seek help to allow for healing and being put back together again, should he ever experience another fall.

(This post relates to Humpty 2008, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #4, February 2008)

Postscript: Currently, various internet pages offer historic explanations of the rhyme’s origins. More than one site makes reference to Humpty Dumpty as a powerful cannon mounted on top of the St. Mary’s Church in Colchester. During the English Civil War, it defended the city until the church tower was hit by the enemy, sending Humpty crashing into the ground.

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