Essay Questions

Why do Dr. Kelekian and Vivian get along so well?

Vivian takes to Kelekian because he is a scholar, a man who has earned his position through dedication, hard work and sacrifice. Vivian has done the same to become a great scholar and professor of poetry. They both see the laziness of the generation that has come behind them and their need to be pampered, something neither of the two of them received in their training.

How does Vivian speaking directly to the audience reveal about her character?

By having Vivian speak directly to the audience Margaret Edson reveals to us that Vivian is a woman that is used to having control in her life. And even in this play she is going to have control as she knows the end result, she dies. But, also Vivian speaks to the audience as a way of showing us her capacity for language and its use in the theatre versus in poetry.

What does the character of Jason represent?

Jason is a character that is nearly flawless in his ability to diagnose a patient. He's driven and ambitious and wants to see a cure for cancer. But, he desires a cure at the expense of his patient. He treats Vivian with sterility and sees her only as research. He leaves her stomach exposed after examining her, and he attempts to have the medical team resuscitate her when she has signed of as DNR. Jason represents the ugly side of medicine, the type that is solely in relationship to the disease and cannot see that there is a person wrapped around the cancer he is treating. He lack humanity because of this and causes Vivian's experiences to be cold as if she isn't even involved in the process of her own treatment.