In Margaret Edson's play W;t, a variety of characters with complex and unique personalities come to life. Edson uses vivid imagery and poignant monologues to highlight and simultaneously critique the social structure, doctor-patient relationship, and implicit stigmas associated with terminal cancer. Many themes, such as those mentioned above, are displayed within the elaborate rhetoric that Edson uses to construct both the outward appearances and internal thoughts of the characters, which often contradict each other. Edson's intricate blending of each character's juxtaposing identities gives readers a deep connection to the personal struggles of each character's past and present. The book's main protagonist, Vivian Bearing, experiences an immense shift in mindset when she is diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Although Vivian understands the severity of her diagnosis, her thoughts remain focused on maintaining her image as a literature professor expert and world-renowned. Through the reader's journey with Vivian Bearing, we encounter many of her relationships that each serve to propagate Vivian's spiritual awakening and acceptance of her diagnosis. Through her relationship with herself, with Dr. Jason Posner, and with Sally, we see that her "sick experience" is the product of the ongoing social interactions and relationships encountered throughout the show, rather than a set of concrete, defined principles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before delving into Vivian's relationships and their impact on her "sick experience," her character must first be analyzed from the perspective of how Vivian sees herself. From a young age, Vivian was exposed to reading literature. Mr. Bearing, Vivian's father, encouraged her to continue reading other books, to which she replied, "I think I'll read... The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies" (Edson, 41). her father would help her sound out the words she had difficulty reading. He said, “…now use it in a sentence. What has a soporific effect on you?” (Edson, age 42.) This scenario is significant because it illustrates the deep learning that Vivian was exposed to from an early age and most likely sparked her interest in deciphering the meaning of words. Vivian becomes one of the best professors in her field and when she is admitted to the hospital she brags about her successes to the technicians. He says: "I have made an immeasurable contribution to the discipline... I am a force" (Edson, 17). It seems that focusing on his accomplishments took his mind off the harsh reality of his diagnosis. It may be that constantly repeating her successes makes her feel stronger, pushing her to further accept the fate of her diagnosis and subsequent treatment. The power of language is explored extensively in this play, giving readers a glimpse into how Vivian's understanding of Donne's sonnets helps her make sense of her extremely gruesome and terminal diagnosis. Vivian uses exposure to Donne's sonnets as a means to transcend boundaries and understand her diagnosis in a profound way. In fact, she relies heavily on her knowledge and education when she is first diagnosed. Vivian's positive mindset toward herself and her accomplishments has channeled into a unique relationship with her doctor, Jason Posner. Upon their first interaction, we learn that Jason was in her class as a college student. He says, “You can’t get into medical school unless youwell-rounded... I bet myself I could get an A in the three hardest courses on campus" (Edson, 21). When Jason reveals to Vivian that he got an A- in his class, he further clarifies the idea that Vivian was an extremely strict and demanding professor. Vivian and Jason continue to have an interesting relationship throughout the show when we learn that Vivian is part of a large clinical trial that Jason is conducting with his team. Essentially, Vivian and Jason can being seen as the opposite of each other, but at the same time as doubles of the other. As previously discussed, Vivian is an extremely ambitious, strict, and dismissive professor with her students. This is exemplified during one scene of flashbacks, when Vivian refuses to grant a student's request for an extension after her grandfather's death She says, "Do what you want, but homework is due when it's due" (Edson, 63). in the rigidity of deadlines and what he sees as the integrity of education. Likewise, Jason is completely absorbed in his clinical trial, and throughout their relationship in the play, we are exposed to an almost inhuman side of Jason. He says: “[Cancer] is amazing. How does he do it? The intercellular regulatory mechanisms…” (Edson, 56.) We can see that Jason is passionate about cancer research, however, the fact that he describes cancer as “awesome” for his patient, while she is slowly moving away from the disease, it is reckless. Many of Jason's monologues and jokes are full of nonsensical tone and lack of emotion. He asks Vivian for a blanket, routine questions in the way his mentor taught him, and fails to see the humans he is harming through his work. When Vivian is taking her last breath, Jason desperately tries to resuscitate. His relationship with Vivian is purely clinical in the same way that Vivian's relationship with her students was composed of distant, dismissive, and disparaging connections. The relationship between Vivian and Jason, along with the overlap between how they both view their work, is a critical component in the play because it gives Vivian a platform to reevaluate how she has conducted herself as a scholar and professor over the course of her career. his career. Another important aspect The most important relationship in the play is the strong bond that forms between Vivian and her nurse, Susie Monahan. As discussed above, Vivian's primary view of herself and Vivian's view of Jason is purely transactional: Vivian sees herself as a worthy individual solely on the basis of her successes in life and nothing deeper than that, and Jason sees Vivian as a research champion. This makes Vivian's relationship with Sally an inherently special one, where readers finally see Vivian treated like a human being. Sally says, “There's something we need to talk about, you need to think about” (Edson, 66). Susie then goes on to tell Vivian that although her tumor has shrunk, tests indicated that cancer had been found in other parts of her body. body. With this full revelation, which Vivian has not received in the play up to this point, Susie begins to discuss how she would like to proceed when her predicted death (DNR vs. full code) occurs. Susie says, “…they should have explained this…” (Edson, 67.) In the code scene, Susie defends Vivian's choice to be DNR and argues with Jason when he tries to revive her despite her wishes. Her infinite dedication to Vivian, despite the circumstances of the clinical trial, shows Sally's genuineness towards Vivian and her dedication to preserving Vivian's integrity Susie's frankness, combined with.