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| Deborah Lacks and Rebecca Skloot |
In the chapter titled “The Medical Records,” Skloot describes how Deborah slammed her against the wall because Deborah suspected that she was being lied to. Skloot does not report that Deborah ever apologized for the violent behavior she displayed on this occasion or for the erratic behavior she demonstrated on other occasions, nor does she suggest that Deborah ever thought her own behavior was in any way inappropriate. Does Skloot’s depiction of Deborah’s mental and emotional state strike you as fair? Do you think she errs on the side of generosity toward Deborah, making a special effort to encourage sympathy with the way Deborah has been mistreated by the system? Do you find her patience with Deborah and her tolerance of her instability are unrealistically depicted? Do you think Skloot makes herself out to appear heroically patient and generous? Do you think Skloot put up with as much as she did and pretended to be Deborah’s friend in order to get the story?
If we were put in Deborah's shoes, I think majority of us would behave as she did. What Deborah went through is incomprehensible to a lot of us. With her health issues and the stress combined, I would think anything would set her off. She was a woman who was tired of the way people had treated her and did not want it to happen again, and she was mentally and physically exhausted. I think Skloot's tolerance of her was real. First of all, I think she was scared of Deborah and from Skloot's description of her, I would be too. She was a strong woman who no longer took anything from anybody. Second, Skloot also needed those medical records for her book. If Deborah became so upset that she no longer wanted to speak to Skloot, Skloot's book would be incomplete. Third, I want to think that Skloot was worried about Deborah and didn't want to cause anymore stress by biting back after being shoved to the wall. I also think, and hope, that Skloot's friendship with Deborah was real. They spent so much time together that a relationship had to be inevitable. If Skloot truly pretended to be a friend to Deborah for so long, she had to be one good actress.
ReplyDeleteChelsi Norris
She had to be heroicaly patient and heroicaly generous when dealing with Deborah. I don;t think she would've gotten too far with the story if she hadn't had Deborah's help. I honestly don't know how she managed to do it for so long. I would've totally lost it if I had been in Skloot's place with Deborah.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not her depiction of Deborah was 100% true,or how she was trying to make herself appear. I think it definitely gave the reader a sympathetic attitude toward Deborah. We can feel the family's pain in such raw moments of emotion, and better understand exactly what they went through. Skloot does demonstrate a lot of patience, and I admire her for it. But Skloot did want to know all the information she couldn't have found without Deborah. I think the scene goes more for the heartache of the family and less for the admiration of Skloot.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Skloot used Deborah Lacks? If so, is that necessarily a bad thing? What's the difference being using someone and conducting business with them?
ReplyDelete