Question

WIT

BY: Margaret Edson

Question:

How does the least intellectual character in the play, Nurse Susie, demonstrate that she is the wisest and most human of all the characters in the play?

Answer 1

• The plot follows Vivian’s life from her diagnosis to her final moments in the hospital.Her daily care is overseen by her nurse, Susie Monahan, and a young medical oncology fellow, Dr. Jason Posner. On their first meeting, Jason tells Vivian that he took her course as an undergraduate to prove to himself that he could make an A in one of the hardest courses on campus. Like Vivian, Jason loves a challenge; he craves intellectual rigor, which is why he has decided to pursue a career in cancer research.
• But what Jason has in intelligence, he lacks in compassion. He does not treat Vivian like a sick and possibly dying person; instead, he is more interested in what he can learn about her cancer. Despite interacting with her regularly, he offers her little in the way of comfort. Jason’s main concern is that Vivian completes all eight rounds of her chemotherapy drugs, so he can have a complete data set.
• Nurse Susie, on the other hand, treats Vivian with kindness and compassion. . When she lands in the ER, Susie swoops in to take care of her. She gets Vivian settled and fetches Jason, who diagnoses her with a secondary infection.
• Susie pleads with Jason to consult with Dr. Kelekian; Susie thinks they should lower Vivian’s dose next cycle. Jason refuses, and he transfers Vivian into isolation instead. Vivian continues to take her chemotherapy at its full dose, but her condition continues to deteriorate.
• Vivian begins reaching out to those around her for comfort. Jason brushes Vivian and her concerns off, but Susie responds with compassion and kindness. Vivian tells Susie she is scared, so Susie helps Vivian make important decisions about her end of life care.
• Susie asks Vivian what she would like to have happen when her heart stops, and Vivian chooses a “Do Not Resuscitate” order—also known as a DNR.
• Jason comes to check on Vivian. He realizes she has no pulse, so he starts CPR and calls in a “Code Blue” to have her resuscitated. Susie rushes in and tries to pull Jason away from Vivian, telling him she has a DNR. Susie tries to call off the code team, but she is too late.