As Lorrie Moore said in Why we read (and write) short stories, “we tell stories to find out what we believe”. Lorrie Moore’s People Like That are the Only People Here has an interesting analysis of the hospital setting. I find it particularly interesting how she uses the symbol of machines to talk about the people in the hospital and the process of being a parent of a child in the Peed Onk ward.
Moore gives us the image of the hospital and the Mother’s experience in the hospital as a mechanical process, which you become a part of when you enter it. She does this in a couple of ways. One is when she describes the actions of the doctors, nurses and administrative staff that the Mother interacts with. For example, when the Mother first brings …show more content…
This is seen in a way with the use of sweatpants. When the Mother first comes to the hospital she identifies herself as distinctly different than the parents in the Peed Onk ward and she does not think she could be like the Mothers “with their blond hair and sweatpants and sneakers and determined pleasantness” (225). However, later on we find that the Mother and the Husband have adopted the sweatpants ‘uniform’, which are ideal for “leaping up to check on the baby” (231). The Mother also gets into the routine of going to the Tiny Tim lounge and speaking with the other Peed Onk parents. In a way this is her means of becoming a part of the system/machine of the hospital. Yet, at the end of the story we kind of see the Mother remove herself from the machine and essentially ask herself why people have to be like that. This is particularly evident when after the husband says “Don’t you feel consoled, knowing we’re all in the same boat, that we’re all in this together?” the Mother then thinks, “But who on earth would want to be in this boat?” (249). Part of her question is addressing why these people all have to feel solidarity over something so terrible happening to all of them? After this we see the Mother’s decision to not be a part of that system when she says “Let’s make our own way...and not in this boat” (249). The Mother is saying she wants to be different and not follow …show more content…
The repeated motif of the idea of a machine or a mechanical way of doing things points toward a question of the legitimacy of the way things are done. The Mother’s experience with the scripted optimism of the people in the hospital (both patients and staff) makes a point about whether people are actually concerned or if it is something they have to pretend to do to keep the ‘machine’ going. Often in TV and media Doctors are portrayed as the heroes but in Moore’s story they are generally portrayed as robotic characters who all talk and act the same way and of course she also mentions repeatedly that they are dressed in blue. She likewise paints the hospital as an almost evil place as the Mother says in the story it is a place “...designed and decorated for your nightmare” (224). Overall, I think Lorrie Moore’s story is very good and has an interesting critique in it (though minor) that can make you think about your own life and experience with regards to our medical system
Moore gives us the image of the hospital and the Mother’s experience in the hospital as a mechanical process, which you become a part of when you enter it. She does this in a couple of ways. One is when she describes the actions of the doctors, nurses and administrative staff that the Mother interacts with. For example, when the Mother first brings …show more content…
This is seen in a way with the use of sweatpants. When the Mother first comes to the hospital she identifies herself as distinctly different than the parents in the Peed Onk ward and she does not think she could be like the Mothers “with their blond hair and sweatpants and sneakers and determined pleasantness” (225). However, later on we find that the Mother and the Husband have adopted the sweatpants ‘uniform’, which are ideal for “leaping up to check on the baby” (231). The Mother also gets into the routine of going to the Tiny Tim lounge and speaking with the other Peed Onk parents. In a way this is her means of becoming a part of the system/machine of the hospital. Yet, at the end of the story we kind of see the Mother remove herself from the machine and essentially ask herself why people have to be like that. This is particularly evident when after the husband says “Don’t you feel consoled, knowing we’re all in the same boat, that we’re all in this together?” the Mother then thinks, “But who on earth would want to be in this boat?” (249). Part of her question is addressing why these people all have to feel solidarity over something so terrible happening to all of them? After this we see the Mother’s decision to not be a part of that system when she says “Let’s make our own way...and not in this boat” (249). The Mother is saying she wants to be different and not follow …show more content…
The repeated motif of the idea of a machine or a mechanical way of doing things points toward a question of the legitimacy of the way things are done. The Mother’s experience with the scripted optimism of the people in the hospital (both patients and staff) makes a point about whether people are actually concerned or if it is something they have to pretend to do to keep the ‘machine’ going. Often in TV and media Doctors are portrayed as the heroes but in Moore’s story they are generally portrayed as robotic characters who all talk and act the same way and of course she also mentions repeatedly that they are dressed in blue. She likewise paints the hospital as an almost evil place as the Mother says in the story it is a place “...designed and decorated for your nightmare” (224). Overall, I think Lorrie Moore’s story is very good and has an interesting critique in it (though minor) that can make you think about your own life and experience with regards to our medical system