Even though Moore’s writing was concerning a very hard subject: a Mother’s child with cancer, I found that she had an even balance of emotions within her piece. At times, the story went into dark places, like when the Doctor was first sharing the news of the cancerous tumor, and the Mother’s first reactions with this news. Other times it was lighter, and humorous (the Father and Mother alike alleviated a lot of their pain through jokes). I like the way Moore had many hidden themes in her writing, first with the child turning off and on the lights when the doctor was first telling the Mother of the news: “What we have here is a Wilms’ tumor,” says the Surgeon, suddenly plunged into darkness…The room is quickly on fire again with light, then wiped dark again.”(215). Another clever moment she used throughout her writing was the Baby’s wave goodbye, in which the Baby suddenly was in a phase of waving goodbye during the time of diagnosis. This left the Mother worried: “as if he senses an imminent departure.”(218). Through the rest of the piece, the Mother and Father tend to acclimate to the “Peed Onk” environment, learning about the regular’s there, and hearing about their own individual stories – all entirely different, but all similar in a sense. Hearing these struggles, and knowing that there is a group of people who you can suffer alongside can be a comfort. I think this is why the parents found the most comfort from the other parents, and not from the doctors. I believe that sharing and hearing the struggles of others who have experienced their own difficult but similar past can heal the loneliness throughout your own.
I agree with you that this piece was very powerful with the metaphors being weaved in and out. I find it interesting that you think that the mother felt comfort in the other parents telling their stories. I began to think that, and back to the idea that we had in class that having a community to rally behind would be a great idea. Slightly throughout this piece, it seemed to change for me. Some people, like the husband, really love being in a group. But in the case of Loorie Moore says “Let’s make our own way… and not in this boat”. In this boat, she meant the community of people that she sat with everyday. Do you think that she meant that she did not really find joy in everyone’s cruel stories? or do you think something different, like she may just not have liked the atmosphere of what they had to talk about?
I agree with everything that you said. The parallels in the baby’s behavior and how Moore made the mother really feel in this piece was almost tragic. Lightness and darkness in the cancer journey is such a real thing, that I don’t think we pick up on this on first glance of reading.
I also think the mother took relish in hearing everyone’s stories as I don’t think she found the science in the diagnosis and the hospital staff all that comforting. Moore says, “Its bad enough when they refer to medical science as ‘an inexact science,’ says the Mother. But when they start referring to it as ‘an art,’ I get extremely worried.” I think that we all think that medicine is not just a science, it is an art. And we happen to think that this is what makes us the ones that are the most empathetic, but turns out, people struggling with the darkness of a child’s cancer diagnosis, an art is far from what they want.
I agree with what you said. The metaphors that were hidden in the piece gave more light to the subject. It made it seem scarier in certain places and happier in the other. I think that it made it have such a bigger impact on the babies cancer story. I do agree that the parents did find comfort with the other stories of the parents, but at the same time felt sorry or sad for them. As well as they knew they did not want it to end up like the way all the other kids were. I think it is true that finding people who struggling with the same thing helps people in a way. I think it helps them realize they are not alone and other are there.
Maritza,
I really enjoyed how you have pointed out some of the key themes that you had picked up on throughout this piece! The baby waving was such an intimate moment in the narrative and I was happy to see you address this line while discussing the important things that stood out to you. I most definitely agree that knowing that there is a group of people that you can “suffer alongside” can be of comfort. It is always nice to know that you are never really alone. Sharing these struggles with others can be an important step in the healing process.
-Kaylee