Cutting for Stone Author Interview

Although I have not finished the book, I listened to an interview on NPR where there were multiple questions about the plot and writing process of Abraham Verghese. I was surprised to find out that his main focus while writing this book was medicine, rather than religion or Ethiopia because at the point I am in the book (around pg 300/half way) medicine has only been a background theme. In the interview he even says "if my editor told me to change the setting of the book to the Bronx, I would have". That was so surprising to me because Ethiopia's culture is what really makes the book interesting and unique to me, I do not think it would have been popular if it didn't have that diversity. In the interview he describes how being a doctor is so similar to being an author in an interesting metaphor about creating a story about a person's body and its history. To diagnose a disease he remembers past stories he has read and looks to the body to fit the narrative. I thought this metaphor was interesting because as a doctor and an author himself he understands the similarities between them and gives medicine a romantic air. Here is the link to the interview: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/14/135150086/listen-audio-chat-with-author-abraham-verghese

Dairy Queen

The Long Weekend

DJ's family isn't very grateful for all of the work she puts into the farm. On top of all of her daily chores she has to do to keep the cows alive and healthy, her family is always complaining about the things she isn't doing. Her mother and Father are always complaining about her poor grades and are always adding new jobs for her to complete. In addition to the second haying on her birthday, her mother asks if someone can mow the lawn. This may not seem like a big deal, but DJ is practically running the farm by herself. DJ states "That hung there in the kitchen for a while. You could hear Dad thinking that his hip was still mending and Curtis thinking he had baseball and me thinking that since I do every other damn thing around here, maybe someone could take the tiniest bit of responsibility and do it themselves" (93). DJ is forced to think of her family's best interests and she cannot voice her opinions. Her position forces her to be passive. I don't think that I could handle the pent up anger that DJ has, I think she's going to explode.

Dairy Queen

Wash Day

DJ has agreed to train Brian, the quarterback from Red Bend's biggest rival, Hawley High School. This is controversial in DJ's family and social life because the small town takes this rivalry to an extreme. High school football in Red Bend is like a town-wide religion, everyone is obsessed. DJ has to keep the training a secret. Brain is helping around the farm which gives him an excuse to be there, but for DJ having him there gives her work a purpose. In the beginning DJ compares herself and her thoughts to that of a cow. After beginning to train Brian, however, she sees things differently. She states "I hadn't thought one bit all day about being a cow, I guess because I was so busy" (80). DJ often compares her thoughtless work on the farm to the life of a cow. Once she sees a purpose, like pushing Brian, she gets out of the mindless rut she was stuck in.

The Twins and Parenting

This whole book follows the life of the twins, Marion and Shiva, whose parents left them orphaned when they where born. Their mom, Sister Mary Joseph Praise, died in child birth and their dad, Thomas Paine, ran away when Sister Mary died. No one knew Sister was pregnant before she began labor and she died before they could find out who the dad was. Stone never even confesses to impregnating her and he even says he doesn't remember ever having sex with her. It is presumed that it happened when he was extremely drunk, therefore he would not remember it. It is so weird to me that everyone still accepts him as the dad when it is not certain.
When the children are born Hema decides that she is going to be the new mother of the twins, which I think is rude because she basically is brainwashing and kidnapping them. From the moment they are born she calls them "my twins" and says that she has waited her whole life to parent them. Ghosh, Hemas husband for a year, took on the responsibility of the father by going through the naming ceremony. I wonder if Hema and Ghosh will tell the twins that their real parents are dead, or if they will pretend to be the birth parents.

Ethiopia

This book shows a window into Ethiopian life which is completely different from  our culture here. Although this book takes place in the 1950s it creates a proud atmosphere of Ethiopia, mentioning multiple times that Ethiopia was the last country in Africa to be taken over by another country. The patriotism of the people living there surprises me, especially when it shows the poverty side of the population. The people at Missings see the people at their worst, but they still chose to love Ethiopia and its citizens.
The book also portrays how deeply religious the country is, which I did not know before. I am not sure if that aspect is just in the book, or if real life it is that extreme as well. At one point in the book it describes how when people just walk by a church on the street, they bow down and wave to it. I found that weird because in America our culture has grown to be so secular because so many different religions are present. The hospital that the book focuses around is in need of money and supplies, but all they get from their donors are bibles. In the book, Matron even says, "We have more English Bibles than we have English-speaking people in the entire country"(188).

Sister Mary Joseph Praise voyage to Aden

Sister Mary’s voyage to Aden introduced her to her future lover and killed her only companion. When she finally reaches her destination nothing else goes to plan as her teacher died and no one is left to help her. The next thing the book explains is her arrival in Ethiopia, which was weird to me because it skipped over a huge section to get there. Sister Mary says that Aden is where the devil leaves and where she learnt that God could be harsh. The last sentence while she is still in Aden is “his muddy eyes dropped from the ceiling to her face, to her lips, and to her bosom” (31). A few paragraphs later she arrives at Missing Hospital deathly skinny and bleeding in between her legs.

            This skip in the plot leads me to believe that something unspeakable happened in Aden. I think that she was probably raped or somehow hurt by the man in the hot house. Sister Mary went through so much in those few weeks after leaving India, the fact she can even be normal after that impresses me. 

Dairy Queen

Back to Normal, More or Less

In this book even from the very start DJ has a strong sense of loyalty to her family and sacrifices a lot for them. After her father's injury and the absence of her brothers, DJ gives up important aspects of her life to keep her family dairy farm alive. DJ states that "It killed me having to quit basketball, and spend all spring knowing track was going on without me. But I started . . . in January when it got to be too much for Dad to even get out of bed" (Murdock 37). DJ gives up her sports, and eventually her grades, to support her family. I think this is a big deal for a teenager, being committed to a team is part of growing up and being an adolescent. Working long hours is generally thought of as an adult role. DJ has to take on this new role to support her family. DJ was born into a poorer farming lifestyle, would a teenager that had lead a more wealthy and privileged life be able to cope with the pressure?