Christiana Stickel
Professor Rivkin-Fish and Professor Thrailkill
ANTH 272 / ENGL 264
25 January 2020
The Journey of Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis can be a positive journey, or so Nancy Mairs tells
her readers. In her illness narrative, Mairs describes living with Multiple
Sclerosis and its implications for her life. At the beginning of the narrative,
readers are impressed with her difficult life as evidenced by falls,
embarrassing moments, and progressively debilitating occurrences of her
Multiple Sclerosis. However, Mairs’ writing is a quest narrative in that she
conveys hope and self-discovery in the process of her illness. Examining
the second to last passage of her narrative, Mairs imparts her most
powerful message: “This gentleness is part of the reason that I’m not sorry
to be a cripple” (9). During this passage especially, the reader senses
feelings of gratefulness and contentment which seem incompatible with
her illness. Her feeling of gratefulness contributes to an overall theme of
courage and self-discovery. It is as if Mairs is telling her reader that yes, she
may have an illness, but no, she will not let it get the best of her. Later
adding to this theme, Mairs says about Multiple Sclerosis, “I’m getting the
hang of it” (10). However, Mairs does not profess an easy life. She writes in
a way that conveys the cyclical frustration that she faces through
highlighting “a life wrenched by change and loss, change and loss” (9).
Additionally, Mairs views her illness as a way to help others. She seeks to
use her knowledge about her own suffering and feelings to reach others in
similar circumstances of suffering. This illness narrative is important for
people to read because it is incredibly inspiring. Mairs’ way of approaching
her illness convinces her readers to be courageous against any challenge
they face.
Works Cited:
Mairs, Nancy. “My Life as a Cripple.” www.wheelersburg.net/Downloads/Mairs.pdf. Accessed 24 January 2020.