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 in the elaborate rhetoric that Edson uses to construct both the outward appearances and the inner thoughts of the characters, which often contradict one another. Edson's complex blend of each character's juxtaposed 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 change in mindset when she is diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Although Vivian understands the seriousness of her diagnosis, her thoughts remain focused on maintaining her image of an accomplished and world-renowned professor of literature. Through the reader's journey with Vivian Bearing, we encounter several of her relationships that each serve to propagate Vivian's spiritual awakening and acceptance of her diagnosis. Through her relationship with herself, Dr. Jason Posner, and Sally, we see that her "illness experience" is the product of ongoing social interactions and relationships encountered throughout the play, rather than an entire of defined and concrete principles. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayBefore delving into Vivian's relationships and their impact on her "illness experience", her character must first be analyzed from the point of view 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 responded, "I think I'll read...The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies" (Edson, 41 years). As she read the book, her father helped her pronounce the words she had difficulty reading. He said, “…now use it in a sentence.” What has a sleeping effect on you? (Edson, 42.) This scenario is important because it illustrates the deep learning that Vivian was exposed to from a young age and most likely sparked her interest in deciphering the meaning of words. Vivian becomes one of the best teachers in her field and when she is admitted to the hospital, she brags about her accomplishments to the technicians. She says: “I have made an immeasurable contribution to the discipline...I am a force” (Edson, 17). It seems that focusing on his accomplishments made him forget the harsh reality of his diagnosis. It may be that constantly reiterating her accomplishments made her feel stronger, pushing her to become more accepting of the fate of her diagnosis and subsequent treatment. The power of language is explored extensively in this play, giving readers insight into how Vivian's understanding of Donne's sonnets helps her make sense of her extremely horrific and terminal diagnosis. Vivian uses her exposure to Donne's sonnets as a way to transcend boundaries and understand her diagnosis in depth. In fact, she relied heavily on her knowledge and education when she received her first diagnosis. Vivian's positive mentality toward herself and her accomplishments blossomed into a unique relationship with her doctor, Jason Posner. During their first interaction, we learn that Jason was in his class inas an undergraduate student. He says, "You can't get into medical school unless you're well-rounded...I made a bet with myself that I could get an A in the three hardest courses on campus" ( Edson, 21 years old). When Jason reveals to Vivian that he got an A- in her class, this further clarifies the idea that Vivian was an extremely harsh and demanding teacher. Vivian and Jason continue to have an interesting relationship throughout the play as we learn that Vivian is part of a large clinical trial that Jason is conducting with his team. Essentially, Vivian and Jason can be seen as each other's opposites, as well as each other's doubles. As previously stated, Vivian is an extremely ambitious professor, strict and dismissive of her students. This is illustrated during a flashback scene, when Vivian refuses to grant a student's request for an extension after the death of her grandparent. She says: “Do what you want, but duty is due when it is due” (Edson, 63). We can see that Vivian believes in rigid deadlines and what she sees as the integrity of education. Similarly, 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: “This [cancer] is awesome. How does it feel? Intercellular regulatory mechanisms…” (Edson, 56.) We can see that Jason is passionate about cancer research, however, the fact that he describes cancer as “awesome” to his patient, while she slowly wastes away from illness, is inconsiderate. Most of Jason's monologues and one-liners are filled with a callous tone and a lack of emotion. He asks Vivian routine questions in a way his mentor taught him and he fails to see the humans he is harming through his work. When Vivian takes her last breath, Jason desperately tries to resurrect herself. His relationship with Vivian is purely clinical in the same way that Vivian's relationship with her students was comprised of distant, dismissive, and derogatory relationships. The relationship between Vivian and Jason, as well as the overlap between how they both view their jobs, is a vital part of the play because it gives Vivian a platform to reevaluate how she has behaved as a as a scholar and professor throughout her career. The relationship in the play is the strong bond formed between Vivian and her nurse, Susie Monahan. As previously stated, Vivian's primary view of herself and Jason's view of Vivian are purely transactional: Vivian sees herself as a worthy person based solely on her accomplishments in life and nothing deeper than that, and Jason considers Vivian a research specimen. This makes Vivian's relationship with Sally an inherently special one, in which readers finally see Vivian being treated like a human. Sally says, “There is something we need to talk about and something you need to think about” (Edson, 66). Susie then tells Vivian that although her tumor became smaller, tests indicated that the cancer had been detected in other parts of her. body. With this full disclosure, which Vivian has not received in the room thus far, Susie begins to discuss how she would like to proceed when her expected death occurs (DNR versus full code.) Susie says, "...they would have had to explain that…” (Edson, 67.) In the code scene, Susie defends Vivian's choice to be DNR and fights with Jason when he tries to revive her despite her wishes. His endless devotion to Vivian, despite the circumstances of the clinical trial, shows authenticity.