“…The Doctor is one of the angels. He has finished the work of God. My daughter is beautiful…”: Critical Disability Reading of Richard Selzer’s “Imelda” Anonymous College

In Richard Selzer’s “Imelda”, Dr. Franciscus guarantees Imelda that he will repair her cleft the following day. Unfortunately, she succumbs to “Malignant hyperthermia” before he fixes her cleft. The aftermath of Imelda’s death gives Richard Selzer the opportunity to unearth Dr. Fransiscus hidden traits that the reader had not identified prior. Dr. Fransiscus makes sure that he accomplishes his promise the Imelda even after she is death; he still repairs the cleft although she can no longer see it. Imelda’s cleft is very significant in the story, without it , the plot would not have been enthralling. From a Critical Disability approach, Imelda’s cleft is a prosthesis for Richard Selzer’s “Imelda”; the cleft characterizes Dr. Franciscus and it is metaphorical of faultiness in the medical world.

Richard Selzer uses the Cleft to portray Dr. Richard Selzer as an intolerant and unsympathetic doctor. When Imelda shies from removing the pink cloth that is casing her cleft, Dr. Selzer loses patience with her and he threatens to send her away for her ‘silly’ act; eventually, “Dr. Franciscus reached up and, taking the hand that held the rag, pulled it away with a hard jerk.” Here, Dr. Richard Selzer applies force because he is used to...