1. The fellow, Jason, was a parallel of Vivian. His constant pursuits for knowledge and obsession over understanding cancer mirrored her obsession for Donne's work.
2. While reading, I interpreted Susie as Vivian's foil. Vivian was terse and cold-hearted within her profession while Susie was compassionate and kindly.
3. Toward the end, we see Vivian aching for human compassion and kindness and the way Jason fails to give it. This, juxtaposed with Vivian's flashback revealing lack of compassion in the classroom, really completes the parallel between Jason and Vivian.
4. The setting was an intriguing one. The intro to the play specifies that the play is continuous, no intermissions, and in one room. This setting enhances the idea of change without movement. It represents an emotional progression rather than situational.
5. Jason also represents the student that she always appreciated in her class. He is bright, determined, and unabashed. This emphasizes the disconnect Vivian had from her students and, in some ways, helped her realize that the students that did well grew up to be like her.
6. The separation of Vivian's character from the play also creates a unique feel. By having her address the audience, she is taking away some of the emotion of the situation and replacing it with her own internal dialogue which, I believe, was meant to be a greater focus than the cancer. It forces the reader/audience to approach the story with an objective view.
7. I particularly enjoyed that, when a literary device was used, Vivian would pipe up and explain it. She particularly enjoyed pointing out ironies and paradoxes.
8. Clinical - the idea of these 'clinical' or bed side manner necessities is a constant theme. The "how are you feeling today?" Question was given throughtout the whole play. Vivian's response, "fine" is telling of her character. I would love to consider this theme more closely.
9. "Cancer is the only thing I ever wanted" Jason's candor here made me cringe. His longing and desire to understand this disease were so powerful as compared to Vivian's desire to understand Donne. This line was a great irony because, while it was Jason's greatest love, it was Vivian's worst nightmare.
10. When Dr. Ashton visits Vivian. She was, in my interpretation, her angel. She instilled in Vivian her career and passion and now, when Vivian is alone, crying, and dying, she brings out a children's book, cradles her, and lets her die. It was fitting that Dr. Ashton was the last to be with Vivian, for she is the one that gave Vivian the life she loved.
I really like your fourth observation. I hadn't realized the significance of the setting as a vehicle for the emotional progress of the characters. Because it's continuous, we see the characters reacting in real ways to the situation because, just as the play, their lives don't slow down or take breaks.
ReplyDeleteLooking at Vivian vs. Jason I thought it was interesting how these characters almost fit in perfectly with the devotional yesterday on leaders either being multipliers or holding others back. Although Jason did well, he is lacking the element of human connection/compassion which gets him the right grades but stunts his growth in the real world.. in making it truly better.
ReplyDeleteI liked your observations on the setting because I hadn't thought about it before! I agree that the consistency of the stage, only one room, shows how change can happen from withing, without any outer influence.
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