Charles Henderson

Research - ALHE 4060

Summer 2008

Book Review of W;t

ISBN 0-571-19877-5

W;T

                The book Wit is a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Margaret Edson.  It is written like a play and once the reader accepts the nature of reading a play (i.e. visualizing the play unfold as one reads), it seems to read more smoothly.  The scenes where there appears to a voice over (where Vivian talks to the audience) is written side by side with the dialogue of the other actors.  Apart from adapting to the style of writing, the story was a very interesting one.  The book/play is about Vivian Bearing, Ph.D. who has been diagnosed with cancer; advanced metastatic ovarian cancer.  The title is a play on words where Vivian is a scholar of Donne’s Holy Sonnet’s and through the play she uses her wit and the writings of Donne to help her through to the end. The play begins with how Dr. Kelekian enters and the first words from his mouth to Vivian are; “you have cancer”.   Dr. Kelekian offers Vivian an opportunity to part of a research project where she will undergo experimental chemotherapy and all she has to do is take the full dose regardless of the side effects to help with the research.  As the play progresses, we see Vivian subjected to numerous unethical treatment by doctors, nurses and staff.  An example of this would be her pelvic examination by a former student who seems more occupied with how she is as opposed to what she is going through, to the transporters and the radiology technologist who seem put out having to do their job and that makes a lasting impression on her.  As she becomes more and more a component of the research she finds herself being talked about between doctors and students (in her presence) and not talked to. She finds it necessary to arm herself with words, those she does not have a power over; medical terminology. She finds that this is the only way to understand what people are saying about her, how she is doing, instead of simply “how are you doing today?” which is spoken every time the doctors enter (not even waiting for a reply or listening to what she says). Vivian’s only bright light is the gentleness and love of her nurse, Susie. It is Susie that listens to her, helps her to make it through the tough parts of her “treatment”, she sits and talk – touches her for she is in isolation and as Vivian says: “My treatment imperils my health”.  Susie answers her questions with all honesty that she is not getting better.  It is Susie that informs her about the DNR code. Through all of this she has no visitors until near the end when her old teacher E.M. visits and holds her and reads her favorite book (by this time Vivian cannot sit up and can hardly speak). After she leaves, Vivian goes in to cardiac arrest. The doctors, seeing their research doing down the drain call a code. It is her friend Susie who literally fights off the doctors and code team yelling at them that she is a no code. The play ends there with Vivian finally at peace.