Cutting for Stone Discussion Question #1
Jed Miller
Sophia O'Neal
Abraham Verghese frequently utilizes surgical language within his novel, Cutting for Stone. Verghese’s medical jargon is not lost entirely on the readers, however, because the complexity and mystery creates vivid imagery for the reader to discover. Common knowledge allows readers to know the severity of certain surgeries, so particular operations, such as Thomas Stone’s self performed finger amputation, are not misconceived to be more serious than the injury is.
The chaos and suspense of Sister Mary Joseph Praise’s death is created by the elaborate and panicked terms that fill the air as Dr. Stone and Hema try to save her life. Obviously, not having a medical degree, these words still leave readers with a glimmer of hope; the hope that despite its certainty, Sister will live. This same feeling is experienced in film and television hospital dramas. That hunch in the back of the viewer’s mind that this person will live, even when death seems imminent. The pandemonium that lives, breathes, and thrives in the hospital room is often so grievous that viewers refuse to believe the death grip it holds.
Several times I found myself resorting to dictionaries to make sense of the commotion taking place in Missing Hospital’s Operating Theatre 3. In the case of Ghosh untwisting General Mebratu’s volvulus, I kept my computer by my side, ready to translate vernacular I did not understand. The difference between medical based literature and entertainment is greatly based on imagery. Entertainment gives leeway for laziness in imagination. 300 cc’s of an intravenous fluid can be witnessed in its proper use in a film; whereas literature forces readers to use imagination and create mental images of surgical scenes.
Verghese’s striking use of medical terminology throughout Cutting for Stone leaves readers on the edge of their seats, comparable to film and television hospital dramas. Although artistry is more apparent and available in film, through words or actions, everyone is awaiting the final outcome: life or death.
carissa garrity
Throughout the novel, Verghese talks of multiple surgeries. During each surgery, I was asking myself, “What would happen next?” I found that each surgery that Verghese described had one thing in common: the possibility of death. Like Sophia stated “Obviously, not having a medical degree…” we don’t always understand the terminology that the author uses but because of Hema and Dr.Stone frantically trying to save Sister Mary during the twins’ birth, it created tension and panic through the reader. “The chaos and suspense… try to save her life.” (Sophia)
Like Sophia has stated, just like in hospital TV dramas we get the feeling that this person will live even when the facts seem to prove likewise. However, I don’t think that the reason why the readers and viewers refuse to accept the person’s death is because of the “grievous feeling in the room.” Instead I think it is because of the medical terminology that you hear from the doctors yelling back and forth. Like Sophia stated earlier “these words still leave readers with a glimmer of hope.” But how? By not understanding the terminology the doctors are yelling back and forth provides you with hope because it forces the reader to trust the doctors of their knowledge that they can provide a better chance of that person surviving.
Like Sophia has stated, hospital TV dramas give the imagery of the scene to you already whereas when you read literature you are forced to create your own imagery. However, I have also noticed that in most hospital TV dramas that most of the patients that are operated on are random patients that aren’t already characters in the show. In Cutting for Stone I noticed that the patients that were operated on, were characters that we already had background on. For example, on the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, I found that most of the patients that were operated on were random and rather explained the emotional connection the doctor and the patient had after the patient had already gone through surgery rather than giving background of the patient.
The uplifting use of medical terminology throughout Cutting for Stone and hospital TV dramas keeps the audience hopeful and on their feet on the outcome of the surgery despite who is the patient. Even if the audience hopes that the patient will survive, despite the facts proving they won’t, we still rebel against the suspense almost certain that they will survive so there is a good ending.
Nikki Torres
Although Verghese uses medical terms and adjectives to describe and explain each medical catastrophe, I believe the real tension and suspense flourishes in our confusion and inability to relate. We are given foreign words and from there we must elaborate. Each scene collecting clues from the doctors behavior and what ever definition we can find on Dictionary.com. This ignorance has both challenged and degbelieve that Verghese intended on the readers to not fully understanding his medical detail so that we would continue to have hope. Even though Sister Mary Joseph Praise was said to be lying “lifeless on the table… lips drained of all color” (99) the appearance of Hema gave way to a possibility of life. As Hema begins to operate she talks of “placenta previa” and a pressure of “sixty by palpation” (103). Just as Sophia said all her discoveries and medical terms just lead me to believe she knew what she was doing and that Sister was going to be saved. Even though I have been through these confusing operation situations over and over again I have not learned to be realistic with the matters at hand. The confusion has just led to more hope and surprises, which have kept me on my toes throughout the book.
This confusion theme is again represented in shows and other hospital dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy. Like Carissa suggested the medical terms and tools used in operations keeps us unaware of the realty. I do not have a PhD or have a medical back round, therefore I am ignorant to the practicality of the patients condition. I am left to assume and predict the severity.
Although the Cutting For Stone drama is much different because the Missing Hospital is not located in Seattle during the 20th century. I think what makes Cutting For Stone such an interesting hospital drama is the location and time period. Each operation is not challenged by the doctor’s ability but the lack of supplies, and the location. Being in a country such as Ethiopia raises its own set of barriers with the mixture of cultural beliefs, languages, and the poverty. In each and every surgery there was a foreign element, from the lack of blood supply, to the rarity of disease to even the cultural boundaries. For example in Genets deal with Rosina, Hema had to strive to save Genet with a case that she had only experienced on one other occasion. She was struck with both inexperience and emotional stress that complicated the surgery.
Natalya Royuela
In chapter 7 of Cutting for Stone, Verghese cleverly titles the chapter “Fetor Terribillus” meaning terrible smell. This leads readers to believe something dreadful will most likely occur or at the very least this term will have significant meaning and ultimately drive the direction in which the story will go on. Verghese’s astute use of medical literacy gives these strenuous medical procedures much more drama and it gave me personally, more incentive to decipher what each of these terms meant on a deeper level.
Upon entering the operating room Hema recalls the amount of blood on the floor and seeing the medical instruments lying all around and even on top of the patient. Seeing that Missings top surgeon, Thomas Stone looking rather defeated and worn down and appearing to not have any sense on what should be done next only made the situation much worse. This is very contrary when comparing to seeing surgeons on a reality television program who are always sure to appear as competent leaders and knowing of what should be done in a crisis. As Hema carefully takes over what Stone has started she finds herself in utter disbelief at the damage he has caused and is astounded to find that the probationers have done nothing to try and save Sister Mary Joseph Praise. At this point Hema has put all fear aside as to what may happen to Sister Praise and gets to work on trying to save her. This scene is so very different from a reality hospital drama because of the immense severity of the situation and how there was an apparent shortage of surgeons available in Missing. With so much pressure on Stone to perform well and save those who come to his aide, he finds that he is unsure of what he should do when discovering that his one true love Sister Praise is pregnant. This is a heavy burden for Stone to bear because even though it is not mentioned to the reader at that point in time, his love is bearing his children.
Natalya Royuela
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:20:49 PM UTC-7, Jed Miller wrote:
mollie myers
Joshua Thompson
Cutting For Stone, written by Abraham Verghese, is definitely a medical based drama novel in which the characters constantly have to overcome new challenges. Just as Nikki said, these challenges can be because of lack of supplies or (unlike Nikki) due to lack of experience. The author does a great job of using these challenges through medical emergencies to create tension and surprise in the time of the event and even some excitement because you don’t really know what’s going to happen next. The way the author prevents you from knowing is by heavily using complicated medical terms that the average reader wouldn't understand. This forces the reader to assume what is going on, or (just as Nikki and Sophia said) hope for the best outcome.
A perfect example is at the end of the book when Marion is diagnosed with acute Hepatitis B. When Marion is in the ICU and Hema first arrives from Africa, Thomas Stone updates her on the situation with hefty medical terms such as “Hepatic coma… fulminant Hepatitis… intracranial pressure monitor” (609). Although the reader is completely unknowing of what these terms mean, the only thing they can do is assume the worst and hope for the best.
These events are similar with those on film and television hospital dramas in that they all involve very technical medical terms that leave the audience completely unknowing of the actual situation at hand. As said before, the only thing the audience can do is hope for the best and read the reactions of the characters based on the news that is given.
Although the novel is very similar with film and television hospital dramas, just as Nikki stated, the fact that Cutting For Stone is a book, gives it some limitations in scenery as opposed to something you can actually see on television. When someone is watching a television drama, even without hearing the news, the audience can see that the news is bad from the reaction of the person receiving the news. This doesn't happen in books because the reader has to imagine the scene and use previous knowledge to assess what is going on in the book. If the reader doesn't pay close attention to the reactions of the characters, some details will be missed and they could possible miss a major part of the story.
katie mackenzie
In Cutting For Stone Abraham Verghese creates tension and drama in Operating Theatre 3 by using medical language to make the situation of life or death seem more intense. Just as Nikki and others said, our knowledge of medical issues does not stretch as far as the difficult situations occurring in this novel. Therefore we do not know of the severity of the case, and either life or death seems possible. Every time I gave up hope, such as when Sister Mary Joseph was in labor, Verghese somehow finds a way to always bring back the hope like having Hema arrive just in time to deliver the babies. This theme reappears when just as Missing was about to close because of Thomas Stone’s disappearance, Ghosh stepped up and successfully untwisted the colonel’s Mebratu’s volvulus creating optimism among the hospital.
This life or death suspense is also apparent in TV dramas such as Scrubs. Just as Josh and Carissa said the audience is unknowing of the outcome and will hope for the best as dramas often have a happy ending but sometimes shock the viewer with an unfortunate twist. In scrubs a situation very similar to Sister Mary Josephs happens when a brother of the main character becomes sick and has no hope. Then with a miracle he becomes less ill, just as there is newfound hope when Hema arrives. Unfortunately in both Scrubs and Cutting For Stone the writer needs to keep the tension and neither characters survives despite the revival of hope.
Just as Carissa was saying a major difference in TV dramas and Cutting for stone is that the characters affected in TV dramas are often random patients chosen to be unmemorable. Once the new episode airs the next week the viewer has forgotten all about the poor patients who passed away in the latest episode. In Cutting For Stone the death of Sister Mary Joseph and the unordinary birth of the twins greatly affects the plot of the story.
Abraham Verghese creates tension by using medical language and the suspense of life or death similar to TV dramas, but also relates the scenes in the operating room to the plot line.
Megan Campbell
Abraham Verghese uses medical detail paired with figurative language to create tension and surprise in the many dramatic surgery scenes. The long surgery scenes need medical detail to create an accurate picture of what is happening. However, if medical detail alone was used, it could sound as dry and boring as a textbook. What truly brings the tension to the surgery scenes is the mixture of medical terms and figurative language paired together. A reader may have no clue what a colon is, but when it is swollen to “Hindenburg proportions” and Ghosh is being as careful with it as a “sapper defusing a bomb” any one can tell the patient is in danger and the procedure takes extreme skill. In this scene and all the others, it is the careful placement of figurative language that allows even readers with little medical knowledge to experience the tension of the situation.
As both Katie and Carissa said, one of the great differences between Cutting for Stone and a medical drama is the patients. In Cutting for Stone, each patient is carefully developed, so that by the end of the operation, the reader is attached to them. However, in medical dramas, patients come and go without leaving a great difference on the story . In both Cutting for Stone, and a TV series, the greatest amount of tension is when a main character or a well known character is under the knife.
As Josh said, reading the book can in some ways limit the imagination. While watching a medical drama, all the scenery, emotions, and everything else is right in front of your eyes. With a book, multiple readings can create a picture, but it is slower, and sometimes can still not create the same picture that is given on a TV screen.
Many people have stated outright or implied that the author placed the large amount of medical terms to leave the reader unaware of the situation. This creates tension in the book because little is known about the outcome, and the reader naturally hopes that everything will be all right. I disagree with this idea. Abraham Verghese is a professor at Stanford’s medical school. He would be used to explaining surgeries clearly in the same medical terms he uses in his novel. If he had truly wanted to leave the reader unaware of what was happening, he could easily created new words that would leave any reader clueless as to the seriousness of the situation.
Jillian Raycraft
Before even beginning chapter one of Cutting for Stone, the reader is given the knowledge that the author, Abraham Verghese, is highly developed in the field of medicine, implementing his expertise throughout the novel. In reading my fellow classmates’ responses, such as Miss Torres’, in particular, she carries an outlook behind Verghese’s attempts to create tension and surprise, which I would have to agree with. In reading, I believe that the author uses such detail about medicine with the intension of his medical jargon to have a somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar meaning with it, establishing this tension for the readers. Meaning that the terms or at least part of them used, may ring a bell to some of the readers but the entire meaning may still be unknown, leaving the reader with “confusion and the inability to relate” (Nikki). In a reader’s confusion, they have the tendency to grasp on to any idea they do understand and from that point on they use their imaginations to create their own depiction of the rest of the situation and its potential outcome. By the reader having to make assumptions about these medical situations, it opens up the possibilities beyond what the reader already knows and allows them to apply their knowledge from what they’ve just read, to create a situation of “what if.”
In another stance, these medical operations that are in Cutting for Stone, take a relation and a separation to what we can view everyday on TV and film. In dramas and medical series, we are given straight forward what is going on because the show depicts what is happening, how we should feel, and the ending result of the patient. We can relate a TV drama medical show to a portion of Cutting for Stone because of the possible hope and desire a viewer and a reader can have for a better outcome.
Brittany Cordell
Given the fact that Abraham Verghese is a professor in the school of medicine at Stanford University, it only makes sense that his book would center around the world of medicine while his fictional story of Marion and Shiva Stone unfolds. Throughout the story, we as readers are on the edge of our seats, left to imagine and create images of the situations that are happening as we read along with the either complex or somewhat relatable medical terminology that Verghese uses.
Like Nikki mentions, there is a tension within and suspension that we carry as readers because of our inability to relate to the unknown and complex language carried that we must elaborate on what we don’t know. It is because we don’t know all of the terms that Verghese uses, that we are left to speculate and hope for the best in the next upcoming lines or paragraphs within Cutting for Stone.
The dramatic surgeries within the walls of Missing and of those that take place on film and television share the concept of having the reader/viewer feel as if they are in the operating room during the procedure. In film/television it is easier to create this illusion for the viewer because of the actual 3-D imagery whereas in literature, the reader has to do a little more work in creating the environment in their heads to feel as if it is happening right before them. With this similarity comes a difference. In Cutting for Stone, Verghese gives the reader the opportunity to get attached to the characters that end up on the operating table, revealing background and almost establishing a virtual relationship with them. In contrast, in television and film, the surgeries taking place are most often of “flat” characters that the viewers do not necessarily get attached to or get to know on a very intimate level.
Sebastian Retana
In Abraham Verghese’s book Cutting for Stone, Verghese inscribes many compelled surgeries in his book. He also inputs medical language throughout the novel, especially during the sweat breaking surgeries. Though we can’t fully understand medical terminology without a dictionary as Nikki said, to enlighten or to fully understand the medical situation. These extraneous words seem to be anonymous in our vocabularies, but if we were good readers then we would use a dictionary to find out what these medical terms mean so that we could piece them together to comprehend on what is really going on and what needs to be done during a medical situation.
As Sophia and Carissa said about hospital TV dramas, this novel has the standards similar to a hospital TV drama. Tension and surprise occurs in both the novel and many TV dramas, for instance TV dramas there could be a patient that is suffering from a new kind of disease or a rare disease that most of the hospital staff don’t have experience on the curing the patient, same as it happened with Ghosh trying to untwist General Mebratu’s volvulus with Ghosh having no experience in the gastrointestinal area or when Sister Mary Joseph Praise was giving birth to Marion and Shiva, nobody could have helped her but Thomas Stone who was the only one with experience in gynecology, until Hema arrived but it was too late.
What Carissa said that “in hospital TV dramas we get the feeling that this person will live even when the facts seem to prove likewise. However, I don’t think that the reason why the readers and viewers refuse to accept the person’s death is because of the “grievous feeling in the room.” All the times when we watch or read about a medical catastrophe we see the patient between life or death, but the viewers and readers don’t want the patient to die due to their conscience and sometimes compassion.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:20:49 PM UTC-7, Jed Miller wrote:
simran dhillon
Verghese employs a number of dramatic scenes which occur at the operating table, each scene as exciting as the next. However, it is Verghese’s use of highly advanced medicinal diction within his novel, Cutting for Stone, which causes readers to be filled with suspense, as they become unaware of what is happening. Thus the outcomes leave the readers shocked.
It was during these intense scenes, where lives were at risk, when I felt most confused. Verghese’s dialect was highly professional, it appeared as if it were almost impossible to translate such words as “bilirubin, creatine, cerebral edema, and mannitol” (609) without an outside source, or as Sophia stated, someone with a “medical degree.” It was this confusion which gave me more tension than anything else in the novel however, confusion is not all I received. My lack of knowledge gave me a sliver of hope because I believed that those who had familiarized themselves with such terms would have a better understanding of the situation and could possibly heal the damage that had already been done.
This hope first came to me when Sister was in the delivery room and complications arose. It was from my past experiences with House, a popular television hospital drama, which led me to believe that all was going to be well, and Sister would successfully make it through the delivery. However, when Sister passed away, I was dumbfounded, I did not know how to react to such an event. This shock was entirely the fault of House which taught me that in the end, Dr. House would somehow find a way to treat the patient and make everything okay. Due to this, I was led to believe that Dr. Stone would produce the similar results, only he did not. Thus, both television hospital dramas and this book share similarities because they both share highly suspenseful scenes where the outcome will be life or death. However in Cutting for Stone, these scenes do not end well unlike House, where they find a miraculous cure, and the patient survives.
Noah Crouch
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:20:49 PM UTC-7, Jed Miller wrote:
Sarah Payne
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:20:49 PM UTC-7, Jed Miller wrote:
jeffrey sagan
Kyle Katzenmeyer
Throughout the novel, “Cutting for Stone”, Verghese uses advanced, educated medical language to bring drama to the surgeries performed in the novel. However most diction used in these surgeries are unknown to readers without much medical history. The use of challenging surgical terms adds a suspenseful feeling of dread or hope depending on the surgery that is taking place. As Nikki said in her discussion, “suspense flourishes in our confusion and inability to relate.” While reading these scenes, the reader’s mind fills in the unknown gaps with feelings. This little known dialect the author uses is well utilized to capture the focus and feeling of all people to this book. On page 115 while Hema is about to separate the boys she prays, “..let there be no brain meninges or ventricle or cerebral artery or cerebrospinal fluid or whatnot.” Without knowing what any of these medical terms mean, the reader can assume an occurrence of any one of these medical conditions would be fatal. This quote is a perfect example of how the author keeps the reader involved with his medical diction. As the book carries on, the medical word choice used throughout the book keeps the reader active and always hoping for a good outcome at the end of a surgery. The theme of the book is presented in the title “Cutting for Stone.” Until the climax of the novel the reader is unsure what this truly means. I believe the unknown meaning of this title contributes to the overall mystery of the book and the enlightening quote by the author “I shall not cut for stone.” I have taken this quote for myself to mean, I shall not do harm and only leave the ‘cutting’ to specialized persons thereby in my life knowing my limits to do no harm.
Television series that include medical procedures have a lot in common with “Cutting for Stone.” The TV Series “House”, starring Hugh Laurie, has many overdramatized scenes that may not happen in real life and have some parallel situations as “Cutting for Stone”. For example in the book the narrator describes Matron’s thoughts. “The sun suddenly shown down in Operating Theater 3. Matron felt that it had been the Suns intent to find the unborn.” This quote on page 113 shows the dramatization of the medical procedures occurring in this book while Hema was performing a Cesarean Section and couldn’t locate the twins. The viewer can connect this experience with medical television shows by observing the way the victim almost always goes into cardiac arrest and the dramatic lights and blood work that is used. As Sophia said, there should be a warning in the front of the book saying “Dictionary Required” because without the visible drama seen in television shows Verghese must do it with his word choice. Among the close similarities there are also profound differences seen between novel and screen. As Sophia mentioned the screen is much easier just to be lazy and watch. The true beauty of this book lies in the readers own imagination as Ethiopia goes through its ups and downs as a country as well as the trials and tribulations of Marion Stone who throughout the book struggles to fight through the constant challenges that consume his life.
Sammy Erickson
By describing the doctors technique or lack or technique he creates suspense for the reader. He made me eager to read quicker but at the same time in more depth to see what came of all that probing and cutting of the patient. He created surprise by how he went from one tone to another like during the twins birth he made it seem like Shiva was going to have serious problems or die because of his father’s awkward and hopeless jabs at crushing his skull, but then Hema came and saved both of the boys. They went from mere death to salvation in a chapter.
Like Carissa, I too saw how each operation had a risk to it, yet I didn't completely wrap my head around that death could be the ultimate outcome. I always had some glimmer of hope for the patients while reading because the doctors usually always had hope for their patient or were quick to think of another way to help them.
When Marion and Shiva were being born they were under the care of a stunned team of nurses and Thomas Stone. They were so unsure of what to do because of Sister Mary Joseph praise’s pregnancy. You wouldn't find this type of scene in medical drama film nor TV show. The dramas, unlike this book, always seem to show the doctor being able to act knowingly in a crisis while still maintaining leadership in the operating room.
Agreeing with both Sophia and Carissa, I too believe that both novel and TV drama keep the reader/viewer of the edge of their seat hopeful of a good outcome yet still having doubt in their mind. Also, this makes the reader want to read more and more to find out what comes next just like how the viewer must keep up with every episode to find out what is to happen next. Though the visual aspect of the TV dramas help the viewer better grasp the entirety of the scene, my opinion similar to Mollie’s, is that the book scenes come more natural and are more believable than the cheesy TV medical drama lines.
Jed Miller
Gabriella Choe
Abraham Verghese’s use of medical detail throughout surgical scenes in Cutting for Stone, creates tension and surprise for the readers by heightening the sense of chaos and the unknown. In the twins’ birth, readers are strained with worry, concerned that Hema will not be able to save Sister Mary Joseph Praise and her children from the harm Dr. Stone had previously cast onto them; in addition to Sister’s life compromising birthing complications. The use of medical vocabulary such as “uterine rupture...placenta previa” in the operating room raises the tension felt by the readers because these terms enhance the sum of the unknown, therefore introducing more chaos to an already amplified situation (103). The growing unknown magnified by medical details is the perfect equation to conceive tension as well as surprise. Readers with this knowledge of medical terms can read the operating scene and conclude the situation is one of a dire magnitude; however, readers who are not familiar with such medical details are susceptible to be mislead and surprised. Unable to completely comprehend the medical details allows readers a false sense of hope. Readers can assume that even though the birth scene is wretched, Hema’s impressive knowledge of the situation, seen throughout the usage of medical vernacular, will be enough to save Sister. As Sophia had mentioned earlier, “Obviously, not having a medical degree, these words still leave readers with a glimmer of hope; the hope that despite its certainty, Sister will live.” Yet as the birth scene reaches an end, much like Sister Mary Joseph Praise’s life, readers are stunned and surprised.
Verghese’s depictions of dramatic surgeries are similar to those of film and television, in that each form of entertainment can evoke the same sense of tension and surprise because all three are able to utilize medical details that add to the chaos and mystery of their work. Those watching a medical drama feel the same heightened feelings as readers of Cutting for Stone. The emotions are created by the same unknown medical terms, the difference being the manner of creation, replacing the paper operating room with a physical one. While the emotions felt may be similar, the extent of these feelings differ greatly. With text, the reader cannot ignore the medical details, as the words are all they have to work with for a surgical scene. To fully understand the seriousness of the situation the reader must go to another source. This extra step taken by the reader can leave a more intense sense of tension as the reader is aware of what is actually happening, whereas television and film medical details can often become background to the shiny tools, flattering surgical lights, and shots of “real life surgery”.
Mirelle Sandoval
Even with its many stories and layers, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese remains clear and concise. Verghese paints a vivid picture of these settings, the practice of medicine and the characters' inner conflicts. As many have stated, Verghese gives us a sense of hopefulness by using medical detail to create tension and surprise. As Carissa mentioned, not understanding the medical terminology made us feel optimistic about the situations because we, in our minds, had faith on the doctor’s medical knowledge. In addition, our lack of medical terminology prevents us from fully understanding the outcomes of the procedures which at the end can cause unexpected results. Also by using medical detail, Verghese makes us feel empathy for the characters’ confusion and conflicts. The exhaustive gore of the medical procedures generates confusion which furthers tension. Furthermore, many television hospital programs or movies have some similarities and differences with Cutting for Stone. In television shows such as House or Emily Owens, M.D, the characters are so transparent and complex that we end up feeling empathy towards them. So when it comes to a procedure or a dramatic surgery, we feel as if we were in the show itself going through all the emotions and situations the characters are going through. Similarly in Cutting for Stone, the characters are so well described that we feel a deep and personal connection that we think we are in the book itself. A difference between the book and the television shows is that in Cutting for Stone, the author gave importance and significance to every character. In contrast, the characters in T.V. shows that play a minor role are more superficial. Television dramas are vague and superficial unlike the book which is more realistic and natural. As Mollie mentioned in her response, in a book she sees dramatic events as more natural.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:20:49 PM UTC-7, Jed Miller wrote:
Maddy Larson
Although these surgical dramas can produce an element of surprise and tension, I think they may also cause confusion; Therefore, I completely agree with Nikki when she says that the " confusion and inability to relate" is what really adds to the tension in the book. I believe it was wise for Verghese to write his book from the perspective of Marion. Because Marion did not know what the doctors were thinking when they were working on a difficult case in the operating room, we have nobody's emotions to sympathize with and relate to which, like Nikki said, "keeps us on our toes". This is what seems to set apart "Cutting For Stone" from medical shows on Television. In many TV medical shoes there are usually visual cues and explanations which give us a sense of what is going on in the patient. We can then draw from our experience and predict what the doctors are going to do to fix the problem or save the patient. However, in "Cutting For Stone," Abraham Verghese often keeps us guessing, keeping the book unpredictable thereby building suspense and tension
Alejandro Rosales
Abraham Verghese applied medical terms and the characters’ emotions to create the dramatic scenes of surgery in the novel, Cutting For Stone. One example of a dramatic scene is in chapter 7 titled “Fetor Terribillis” which means strong, foul smell. This thought similar to what Natalya said, gives the reader an idea that something terrible is going to occur and that it will add onto the story later on. The definition of “Fetor Terribillis” and the description of Sister Mary Joseph Praise lying “lifeless on the table, blood on the floor… skin porcelain white and her lips drained of all color” creates tension and disbelief that Sister Mary Joseph Praise can’t be the woman dying on the table. Like Sofia said, when in a trauma hospital, death seems to be imminent, but people refuse to believe in it because they have faith that their loved ones will recover. This thought forms suspense because no one can predict what will happen; it’s a situation of life or death.
The theme of life or death is also seen when Marion is diagnosed with Hepatitis B, his “kidneys were failing; liver wasn’t producing any clotting factors”. Verghese surprised the readers by using the main character, Marion, as the person who caught a very grave virus to catch our attention and have us at the edge of our seats. And just as Josh said, a reader is confused with the surgical terms “fulminant hepatitis… intracranial pressure monitor” and suddenly thinks death as the only outcome, without really pondering the possibilities.
This thought relates to television hospital dramas because the patient is in a life or death situation, and the one hope of surviving are the only people who can help the patient, which are the surgeons and doctors. The difference between Verghese’s literature and the hospital drama is like what Carissa stated; we have background of the characters in the book; physically and mentally, but in the hospital drama we only have a physical appearance of the character, we really don’t know if he/she has had experience in surgery. In Verghese’s literature we can imagine how the surgeon and patient emotionally are, with the interactions they have had before and after the operation, unlike hospital drama. The similarity that both Cutting For Stone and hospital dramas have is the suspense that leads to the theme, life or death.
Monica Bushéy
Samuel Cornish
Verghese exercises his expert diction of medical vocabulary to insinuate the prolonging drama and suspense that last throughout the surgeries occurring in Missing Hospital. As Sophia first mentioned, the diction selected by the author provides extensive imagery to us readers, which then creates suspenseful inference thanks to how much we can picture in our minds and previous knowledge before reading. Also, it allows the reader to see the operations through the eyes or the surgeon team, so one can be fully immersed in the actions taken place during each operation.It’s almost as if one is actually standing in the room watching the operation happen right before their own eyes. I believe this can closely be paralleled with the use of camerawork in television and film hospital drama. The extreme imagery provided by Verghese combined with our own imaginations can easily rival any scene provided in a television or film drama. Every extra grueling detail we the audience receives, the greater the suspense we build for ourselves.
However, I must agree with Maddy and Nikki that while Verghese is very successful in creating tension in the novel, there is an element of confusion that sets it apart from TV and film drama. Since we view actions and visual cues taking place instead of reading them and leaving it to our imagination, TV drama eliminates the confusion that Verghese sets up in Cutting for Stone. Like what Maddy stated, he keeps the narration to Marion’s point of view, which cuts us off from the emotions of the surgery team. This is what separates Cutting for Stone from TV and film drama. It’s easier for us the audience to predict what will happen next in a TV drama whereas Verghese keeps us on our toes and continually build suspense as we read.
Jessica Irvine
Throughout the novel Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese frequently uses medical terms and surgical language to describe the multiple surgeries. The reader is open to Verghese being very experienced in the field of medicine. With reading my classmates responds, I agree with Nikki Torres belief that “the real tension and suspense flourishes in our confusion and inability to relate”. We are given medical terminology that we have to look up the definitions for in order to have a better understanding of what is happening. During each scene we have to collect clues from the doctors and how they act. Verghese wanted readers to not fully understand the medical detail to create the tension for readers. We are left with the hope that the person will survive by the end of the surgery.
During the twin’s birth, I felt the most tension and surprise while reading this scene. With Sister Mary Joseph Praise trying to survive it left me with the suspense of her living or dying. The communication of Hema and Dr. Stone while they were trying to save Sister’s life created panic to the readers. With the doctors having hope we trust their judgment and agree with them. Also, by not having a medical education we are left with the hope that she will live through the birth. The confusion has led me to be waiting for the next surprise that should happen.
The dramatic surgeries can relate and can be different from television hospital dramas. The difference I noticed was the amount of imagination a reader is allowed to use by reading this book. Like Sophia stated “Entertainment gives leeway for laziness in imagination”. In television shows we are given straight forward what is happening and how we should feel unlike when reading Cutting for Stone. During television and reading we have a hope that the patient will survive whether or not there are fats proving that we hope for the better outcome of the patient. We are always waiting to see if they will survive.
Valerie Quiroz
Varghese’s uses his advanced knowledge of the world of medicine through procedures and diction found in his novel Cutting for Stone, leaving the average reader that does not know a great deal of medical terminology suspenseful at the unknowing of what is to come. In the beginning of the Stone brothers’ lives we are left hopeful and anxious of Sister Mary Joseph Praise’s fate as she lies on the operating table. As Sophia stated above “Common knowledge allows readers to know the severity of certain surgeries,” however, I may add on that the reader does not know the full complexity at hand due to lack of experience and lack of knowing the statistical rate of survival. This leaves the reader with hope and anxiety of the possible outcomes, because of course, there is still a variety of possibilities including not knowing the capability of the doctor at hand especially when just recently introduced or the doctor is disoriented such as Doctor Stone was in the case of Marion and Shiva’s birth.
In operating theater 3 Varghese presents the readers with a variety of complex surgeries, including C-section birth, amputation, and vasectomy, leaving his readers on the edge of their seat. With advanced knowledge and medical terms, Varghese is able to pull the reader into the operating room similar as to how a show on television such as Untold stories of the ER draws you in and leaves you bewildered. Gabriella presents the idea “that each form of entertainment can evoke the same sense of tension and surprise because both are able to utilize medical details that add to the chaos and mystery of their work.” I agree with this and consider the chaotic anxiousness that reader or viewer feel in response to the events unfolding in front of them, to be the reason that movies and television shows on medical complications are able to survive. That is where the line from screen to pages is drawn, when it comes to the miraculous recoveries that take place in movies or television, Cutting for Stone brings true reality. It is said “everyone wants a happy ending” and TV accommodates for this to keep their viewers happy, but Verghese, through the results of certain surgeries in his novel does not sugar coat life.
Patrick Scholl
Verghese very effectively utilizes medical terminology and detail to help provide a sense of urgency within the reader- the risks are assessed candidly, during the liver transplant as well as dealing with Sister Mary Joseph Praise’s labor. Stone knew that the twins’ birth would kill Mary, and Hema’s sense of smell told her that the mother was about to die as soon as she entered Operating Theater 3. The detail during the liver transplant is prefaced with one of danger- partial liver transplant on a live donor had never been done before, and all involved- Stone, Shiva, Deepak, and Hema, all knew that this was dangerous. As Sophia described, the medical terminology and description offers intense imagery. It puts the reader “in the room”, but as a passive observer- During the birth of the twins, the reader can feel the anger and terror that Hema is experiencing, staring down a botched attempt at birthing conjoined twins, with almost no competent help. During the liver transplant, the reader knows that the procedure is being executed with the utmost skill and preparation, and yet, due to the untested nature of the procedure, cannot help but feel something will go wrong.
As Kyle mentioned along with many others, Cutting for Stone has a strong similarity to House, most of all in the onset of the novel- the Genius surgeon, injured and bitter about his past, with terrible people skills, performing bold treatments to cure ailments and avoiding his feelings for one of his coworkers. But Cutting for Stone loses all sense of similarity there; unlike House, the book does not center around singular cases, but around the life of an individual as he grows, describing his life and hardships, and following him as he leaves his life to flee from a corrupted government- things you would just not see in House.
Sarah Mayorga
As Sophia also mentioned, not having a medical degree could lead us to believe everything is going to be okay as we picture what is taking place in Operating Theater 3 but in reality, death is a mere second away and we start to wonder what could happen next. Our imaginations want us to believe that Sister Mary Joseph Praise will live and that Thomas Stone will be alright even if he cuts off his own finger and I believe that is where Verghese's depictions of the drama unfolding in the Missing Hospital relates to film and television hospital dramas.
An image is presented on the television and we as the viewers are on the edge of our seats waiting to see what will happen next and the same thing happens to us while reading Cutting for Stone. We have no knowledge on what is at stake or what the possible consequences are of these procedures other than the obvious which is death and that is why we have a little hope as we want the outcome to be anything but death. The difference between television and film hospital dramas and Cutting for Stone is that the images are not presented to us like they are on a television screen meaning that we are even more clueless as to what is really unfolding in the operating room making ourselves even more susceptible to being let down as we have such high hopes of what we want the outcome of the characters to be.
Stefany Pineda
Cutting for Stone utilizes medical terminology in a way that both engages and surprises the readers. As Megan Campbell mentioned, it is not only the complicated words that intrigues us, but the emotion surrounding the scene, to an extent Verghese is able to add a sensual touch to the medical terms such as “The Englishmen coming up behind her seized her where he could, in the region of her coccyx and left rib cage”(17). If you visualize this scene you can see the intimacy between the nun and Doctor Stone, as we continue with the story we notice that the technical terms serve several purposes, for instance as mentioned by both Raycraft and Torres, the terminology in most cases is confusing for the audience, which makes our emotions more intense during a surgery , because we have no knowledge of the real risk hidden behind the long confusing words. Another purpose that Verghese found using this diction is that it gives more authority to the characters, because they appear to have medical knowledge that we as an audience lack. With our ignorance it makes it easier to create suspense and make us more concerned with every surgery and patient. One of the occasions that surprised me the most was the birth of the twins, because when at first stone tried to find a complicated explanation for the belly of the nun and it turned out to be a pregnancy the details used to describe the bleeding made us feel the tension with every word. Cutting for stone, although centered around the medical field, its different from television shows in some aspects, for instance when you watch, Untold Stories of the ER, you have more of a visual explanation for everything that is happening and you acquire more background knowledge and unlike Cutting for Stone , you do not get a sense of what is really going on inside the surgeon’s head while having surgery, the drama on television is simply based on the well-being of the patient with an added sense of humor. Television shows are meant to be informative, but they do portrait the same overall feelings such as tension during a complication and relief or sorrow after every surgery.
Okay, guys. Below is our first discussion question for Cutting for Stone. My expectation is that you will have read the first three parts of the book before entering into our discussion. I also want you responding to what other people have written about the topic. That is why on the last assignment I wanted you to read the previous 5-10 posts before you wrote yours. You should directly address what other people have said in a positive fashion. I want you to look for what you agree with first before you begin disagreeing with others' interpretations of the text. That does not mean that you will all just say the same thing, but you should validate the thoughts of others before you present your own.
Due Date: July 27 12:00 amLength Requirement: 300 words
Emily Marquez
Humans in general, love to cling onto suspense. It keeps the audience sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what happens next, it keeps people interesting in what they are seeing. As for in the novel, Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese, the author uses a lot of medical terms and knowledge to keep the reader’s attention. By using the words, "Fulminant Hepatitis" and other medical terms, it brings a sense of a stressful and intense environment where anything can happen. For example, how Sister Mary Joseph Praise was on the brink of death, in chapter 9, it had not only myself but other readers desperate to find out what happen next. Just as Nikki and Sophia stated, readers love the suspense of something unknown.
The medical terms and subject in this novel relate to television hospital dramas because there is a constant main theme. The theme of being close to the brink of death and not knowing what will happen next, shows throughout every medical story. When producers make a medical connection, they attempt to make it as close as possible to a real life situation; because that’s how life works, always not knowing what will come next. There is a similar pattern of not knowing what will come next in the series, which makes the audience desire so much more, to find all the answers.
Using medical terms in a novel comparing to a television episode is also hugely different in regards to limited imagination. While watching a television show, you have the time, setting, image, characters given too, unlike a novel. In a medical novel, you can imagine all of the details for yourself, giving you more creativity. Novels allow the reader to imagine all the medical terms for yourself, not television where it is given to you. As Clarissa stated, in a novel, we know the background and life of a character, but in television shows, we only see the physical appearance of the character.
Stefany Pineda
In the novel, Cutting for Stone, the author Abraham Verghese, utilizes a variety of medical terms to specify and dramatize the scenes meanwhile on the operating tables. The terms that are used throughout the novel help intensify the situation for the readers due to the lack of experience one has with such diction. The lack of medical terminology creates more tension for the audience, because we do not know the real crisis hidden behind the complex words Due to the unknown words, readers feel a sense of mystery because they do not have a clear concept of what the author is exactly referring to when using medical language. The form in which this book is written makes the tension last longer by adding details the readers to expand their thoughts in order to have an understanding of the detailed scenario, for example. Just as Sophia O' Neil previously mentioned, readers are able to get a sense of how severe a situation can become.
For example the birth of the two twins; the scene in which the sister Mary Joseph Praise is giving birth can relate to films and television hospital dramas because moments such as these always appear to be very dramatic. As an example, television shows that try to explain the intensity of giving birth tend to show a scenario in which the mother is seen in great pain due to the contractions and we can also see the fear in the husbands face as he watches his child being delivered and watching his wife suffering. However, in television shows we are not able to see or feel the tension that goes on the room. The words choice and such great details headers get from books allow a greater connection to the characters feelings and feel the gravity of the situation.
Jacob Smith
Claire Williams
Abraham Verghese’s beautiful novel Cutting for Stone is full of “on the edge of your seat” medical drama. Written in an unfamiliar language due to the medical terms, the reader unless one familiar in the medical profession, is practically oblivious to what is truly going on. Any form of a life or death situation can be suspenseful and when adding in the unknown language the outcomes of the operations are full of surprise.
Verghese paints out each scene for you perfectly giving the reader just enough information so that as Maddy stated, it makes you “anxious to read ahead” during a chaotic surgical crisis. He gets you attached to each character, using the medical issues to make you worry and hope for the best outcome. When Sister Mary Joseph Praise is undergoing surgery, we have no knowledge on what a “uterine rupture [or] placenta previa” is or the extent of the issue, but we understand that Hema knows what she must do to try and save her life (105). Unlike Katie saying that hope was given, in my opinion this idea gives us a slight sense of false hope. The fact that Sister Mary Joseph Praise passed away and Doctor Thomas Stone went missing left me unsure about what was going to come next in this tragic story.
Cutting for Stone can be compared to a medical drama TV show, “Night Shift”. In “Night Shift” you can see the emotions and watch the doctor execute the surgeries. As Sam said, while watching the show you can see what is happening and you do not necessarily have to understand the medical terms, however when reading you have to visualize the dramatic surgeries using your imagination. The reader feeds off of Verghese’s well-developed characters reactions to each situation and may interpret it differently. Personally while I was reading the novel and a term was mentioned multiple times, I felt it was important that I understood it, therefor I googled it reducing confusion.
Claire Mitchell
Throughout Abraham Verghese’s novel, Cutting For Stone, he is able to transport the reader into the operating theater’s through his vivid details and use of medical terminology. Though, as Nikki mentioned earlier, the real tension created during the operations is our confusion and inability to relate to the medical vocabulary; therefore leaving us perplexed and naive to the situation at hand. By leaving the reader unaware of whether the circumstances are fatal or not, Verghese is able to create suspense and keep the reader engaged and wanting more. The real clues given to the reader during the operations are the way the surgeons or assistants react. For example during the twin’s birth, the reader gets the notion that Sister Mary Joseph Praise may not make it, though it is only through Hema’s worrisome behavior. Lines such as “Quick, quick, quick!” and “but she stifled a sob now as she waited,” inform the reader on the possible outcome more than the medical description of things.
In comparison to medical TV shows and movies, the mood in Cutting for Stone is much more challenging for the audience, or reader, to infer. On television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and other hospital dramas, we can physically see and interpret the surgeons tone and reaction to the severity of the patient’s condition. The audience is able to understand what is going on without having to use Dictionary.com to research every medical term. Television dramas are also more relatable to those who are not informed on the terminology doctor’s use, we are able to see the physical condition of the patient and more thoroughly understand the seriousness of the situation. In comparison to television dramas, Verghese does a wonderful job explaining the operations with vivid language and allowing the reader to imagine the situations themselves. Both the novel and television shows are able to properly explain operations and leave the audience wanting more.
Kayla McMillen
This relates to medical films and television series. Both seem to keep you on your toes, because you never know what is going to happen. Something can seem like it is going wonderfully, and all of a sudden, the operation can take a turn for the worse. I see this a lot on the medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, because I watch the show constantly. Therefore I am a little more at ease when it comes to the downfalls of patients, but like Nikki stated, I have not gone through medical school, and I have no medical background, such as family members that are doctors, to help me predict what the outcome of the patient will be. Instead I am stuck nervously anticipating the outcome of whether the patient will live or die, or whether the patient’s health will recover or plummet.
Cutting for Stone revolves around the life of one man and only focuses on a few patients, whereas a television series like Grey’s Anatomy, or any other medical drama for that fact, usually revolves around the lives of many doctors and their emotions between each other. It focuses more heavily on the lives of the doctors rather than the emotional connection between doctor and patient.
Francisco Quintana
At the start of each of these graphic scenes, I think Verghese does an excellent job at providing scenery in order to build better understanding for what’s going on in the scenes he’s describing. He captivates the reader’s attention through startling descriptions of explicit situations supported by his vast knowledge of medicine. As Sam mentioned previously, Verghese’s expert diction creates suspense and drama throughout every graphic scene. The diction utilized by the author provides a portal for us readers which leads us into a new perspective from where we can truly understand the situations thanks to how much we can picture in our minds and previous knowledge before reading. It also allows the reader to see things from the point of view of the people performing the surgery. This allows the readers can be on the same page as Verghese in terms of how we see and understand the situations.
I also think it is important to highlight the way Verghese uses his medical knowledge to keep the reader off balance and wondering. Since the vast majority of us do not know what exactly it is he’s describing in his intricate description of the surgeries, it creates even more suspense and as Jacob Smith described it “confusion” which I totally agree with. Jacob talks about how you do not necessarily know what’s going to happen after the surgery since the terms described such as “volvulus” are not necessarily terms familiar to the average individual.
However, despite the complex terminology, Verghese is still very precise and detailed when describing the situations which allows us to experience the vivid imagery of the situations.
Brittany Cordell and others have also brought up the point that it is easier to create this imagery while in literature the reader has to meet the author halfway and using both the detail provided and pure imagination.
Laura Bairett
I have heard it said that great literature speaks differently to every reader. So many factors provide for this truth; the reader's age, skill, and experience all play their parts. We know this. Verghese exploits it. The esoteric descriptions he employs splinter the reading experience into levels which invite one to return to its pages repeatedly, probably to Nabokov's profound delight. For instance, “the visceral odor of a freshly opened abdomen” (113) is obviously a raw, unforgettable scent. That much is conveyed by context. However, were I to complete medical school and split open the midsection of a living, breathing human being with my own hands, that phrase would take on an entirely different meaning. And I can only dream of the day when I might be familiar enough with physiology to refer to the body’s intricate systems as “lymph vessels, arteries, nerves, and whatnot” (368).
Language creates the oddest of pairings. As Sarah Payne so insightfully pointed out, Cutting for Stone juxtaposes the intimate and the iatric with regularity. Peculiar this may be, but it is vastly achievable when one considers the privacy of medical jargon. Its recondite terminology is matched only by the closeness of love, in Verghese’s opinion. He said it best through Ghosh; “the language of love was the same as the language of medicine” (153).
While my personal experience with medical dramas and the like is nonexistent, I think that I can confidently rely upon my classmates' assessments of them: television is more open to being understood than the written word. Good writing needs to be coaxed out of hiding and befriended, while TV throws itself like a brick in your face. In this way, Cutting for Stone is more mysterious and again private than most dramas, which seem to be comparable in subtlety to a marching band. Nevertheless, I would like it noted that (if my understanding is correct) Verghese’s novel and the television series House are tied together in a truly binding way: their main characters find fulfillment in breaking and entering.
Ehren Engel
In Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone, the reader is presented with intense and suspenseful scenes that take place during medical procedures. In these scenes, Verghese supplies the reader with details of the procedure through the use of medical diction and descriptive adjectives and it is these details that create the vivid imagery of the operations within Theater 3. Although, I agree with Nikki's point, as I too feel that sometimes this medical diction goes over the readers head, and leaves us confused as to what is actually happening in the in the dramatic situations that take place at Missing. I think that it is through this feeling of confusion, that we as the reader start to feel the suspense that the scene is creating, even though the author may be describing the scene with specific medical details, the reader as an observer can still be unknowing of the outcome.
I feel the same way as Jacob when he said how he felt that Verghese is creating a looming sense of uneasiness with the chaos erupting in Addis Ababa. This background of chaos that surrounds Missing is constantly present and continuously adds to the drama of the situations that take place inside, by showing the reader that danger and chaos is not confined to the walls of Theater 3.
Verghese describes the procedures that take place in Cutting for Stone with medical terms and descriptive adjectives in a way that ensures the reader will be able imagine the operations as they would be unfolding in front of them, much like the way one would view an operation in a TV medical drama. Although, this style is not how the entire novel is written, the switch Verghese makes from a more casual and personal style in some scenes, to a more medically focused and descriptive one during operation scenes shows similarities to how medical TV dramas are presented. In TV shows, the same two styles can be seen, as personal scenes of the doctors are shot in a completely different aspect of those that take place during suspenseful medical procedures and operations.
Caleb Logan
The advantage that medicine has over any form of science is the fact that it is directly linked to the active lives of humans. We may be able to ignore how our body motors function, how cells work, or the reactions in our body to maintain homeostasis, but ignoring a broken leg is nigh impossible. With this fact Verghese uses the nature of the various medical procedures to make the actions inside of the book significant by playing off of the human element. What he does with this is that he shows blatant fact about things even if we dont understand exact medical terminology it is quite understandable that cutting off your own finger sounds quite dangerous and painful. Lots of times people are driven by the sense of danger and pain (fight/flight response) Verghese uses this natural human response to crisis in the book by giving people the desire of flight with the necessity of fight.
Juan Ambriz
Marcus Perez
sierra faulkner
You can easily compare some parts of the book to televisions shows. A show I have found myself referring to a lot is Grey's Anatomy. There was one episode I watched and during a surgery some of the surgeons were arguing and seemed frustrated with each other. This automatically reminded me of when Hema was frustrated with Dr. Stone during Sister Mary Joseph's surgery. In Grey's Anatomy like Carissa said " I found that most of the patients were random." You can also contrast the book from TV shows. During television shows you can obviously see what's going on, but while reading the book you can know what the characters are thinking and how they feel. You don't just have to assume you know what they feel or what the are thinking like you have to do with TV shows. In the end both still have that nerve racking life or death situation.
Chelsea Hagen
In Cutting for Stone, Verghese uses plenty of medical-type words that surely most of his readers, including myself, don't understand or know what it is he is referring to. To me the use of these words causes confusion and makes me want to continue reading to try and figure out what's going on. Just like Carissa stated, in television shows where there are life-or-death operations happening every week, there is always that hope that this new character in the show will survive, even though they most likely will never appear in any more than one episode. It is usually the lifesavers that appear in every show, not the patient, whereas Sister Mary Joseph Praise is the patient and one of the main characters in Cutting for Stone. I believe that because she is one of the key characters in Verghese's novel, it creates even more hope that she survives, and it creates disappointment and sadness when the readers find out that she doesn't make it through childbirth.
Jackson Dwelley
Within the novel “Cutting For Stone,” Abraham Verghese uses his medical background, which most readers are unable to comprehend fully. This use of challenging medical terms adds suspense with the auguries taking place because the reader is not fully able to understand what is going on. As Kyle stated, “without knowing what any of these medical terms mean, the reader can assume an occurrence of any one of these medical conditions would be fatal.” This shows up in the novel as Hema makes the decision to cut and disconnect the twins while in the womb. She hoped the tube was only a minor blood vessel, not a cerebral artery that would cause great harm to the twins. The suspense added by Verghese led the reader guessing whether or not the cut would prove to be fatal to the twins or not.
These medical operations are both common and uncommon to what we say everyday on television. The relation between certain medical TV films such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House” can be related to “Cutting For Stone” by the desire of the reader and viewer for a better outcome. The story being told from Marion’s point of view, isolates the feelings of the surgeons and their crew, from what we are able to depict in television shows. Television films allows us to be able to observe and predict more of what will happen in contrast to “Cutting For Stone” because of the suspense built up.
The Jackson Dwelley
Brandon Roscoe
Verghese uses his literary talent to create climactic scenes which make you want to keep reading as he goes into more and more detail until he reaches the shock of what happens next. As I was reading through these intriguing scenes in the novel, I did not want to stop; the extreme detail he uses gives you a clear image of what is happening. Each surgical scene is so vivid and dramatic, just what I would expect to see on television hospital dramas, although it doesn’t work like that on television.
Like Sarah said, Verghese uses his detail with no question that it is happening which makes the reader able to picture it like he is in the operating room. Detail like matron walking into operating theater 3 as Sister Mary Joseph Praise is in labor and sees all of the medical officials “bent over like hyenas over carrion, peering into Sister Mary Joseph Praise’s open abdomen and its scandalous contents.” (113). This intense amount of detail put into his writing causes the reader to really not know what to expect and the operation proceeds; it creates a tension that will not stop until the operation is over.
As Jillian has said, in a medical drama we know what is happening because it shows us every step of the way about what is going on but not quite to the standard of Verghese. I believe that he goes into more detail than what the TV Dramas go into. Verghese really makes you feel like you are in the room in which all of the operating is happening. He causes you to see every aspect of what is going on and all of his descriptions paint a clear picture in your head. The difference between his way of writing and hospital TV dramas is what the really allow you to see and how much detail is used.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:20:49 PM UTC-7, Jed Miller wrote:
Okay, guys. Below is our first discussion question for Cutting for Stone. My expectation is that you will have read the first three parts of the book before entering into our discussion. I also want you responding to what other people have written about the topic. That is why on the last assignment I wanted you to read the previous 5-10 posts before you wrote yours. You should directly address what other people have said in a positive fashion. I want you to look for what you agree with first before you begin disagreeing with others' interpretations of the text. That does not mean that you will all just say the same thing, but you should validate the thoughts of others before you present your own.
Due Date: July 27 12:00 amLength Requirement: 300 words
David Martinez
During Shiva and Marion's liver transplant, Verghese uses detailed medical language to keep the reader engaged, but also "in the dark" about how the operation will turn out. Verghese writes that "[Deepak] dissected out the right hepatic artery, then the right branch of the portal vein and the right biliary duct" and later he "[pinched] off the stalk of blood vessels in the porta hepatis to control the bleeding"(625). With the medical language that is used, it is very difficult to comprehend what is happening, and invites the reader to read further, in search of a "simpler" explanation of what had happened.
Verghese's use of medical terms to keep the reader engaged, is very similar to what you might see when watching a surgery performed on television. Both, Verghese's novel and a medical procedure on tv, provide little information while the surgery is actually taking place because they want to make sure the audience is fully engaged before revealing what actually took place.They differ because in a novel the reader is only given the words on a piece of paper and are forced to create their own visual of what they think is happening, while on a tv show you are provided with a visual, but are still unaware of the how things may be going.
Patrick Luckey
In Verghese’s book Cutting for Stone, many dramatic and heart pounding surgical operations take place throughout the book and while reading these, readers feel as if they can’t stop reading due to the excitement and tension created by the medical detail created by Verghese. Like many hit hospital dramas seen on television, Verghese uses his knowledge of medical detail and vocabulary to bewilder, yet also entrance the reader. By doing this Verghese now has the reader’s interest and attention. Now, most average readers aren’t doctors, so as reader get deep into the surgeries most have a sense of optimism and hope, yet due to the complex language many reader have little idea of the magnitude of any situation creating suspense and mystery, resulting in the effect in which the reader can’t stop reading until they have fully comprehended the situation at hand. Yet a major difference between television sitcoms and Cutting for Stone, is the in Cutting for stone there is extreme detail and much more medical knowledge. While reading Cutting for Stone, unlike watching the television, if the reader is paying attention to small detail, the feeling of intenseness of the book makes the reader feel as if they have a front row seat to the show of the surgery at hand, unlike the glimpses of medical knowledge shown in hit television hospital shows. In these dramatic and heart pounding moments on the surgical table one major aspect Cutting for Stone has, is the ability to touch on more senses, and describe in more detail, about the surgeries to create suspense, like the sight of not just a wide pan camera shot in television, but what every character sees, feels, and knows. Yet after all of this one of Verghese’s greatest tools in the element of surprise is the ending he has set up. After all the medical knowledge and professional vocabulary used, in which the reader has had their heart pounding, one of the greatest surprises is the ending in which everything is brought into a clear picture. This can surprise many people, because in some instances readers may think they knew what was going to happen or not, but at the end it is clear, and anything can change.
Alejandro Sanchez
There are a variety of dramatic scenes in Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone that occur at the operating table, and these scenes are intensified through the author’s complex medical diction, providing a sense of drama, suspense, and in the end surprise for the readers who are unfamiliar with the language employed by the author. As Francisco said, Verghese captivates the reader with his startling descriptions and explicit situations which are supported by his medical knowledge. I believe that it is the great detail that keeps the reader hooked onto the scenes at the operating table, but although the author’s medical knowledge creates interest and excitement, the common reader does not understand much of the medical terminology that the author utilizes. As Laura stated, we can only dream of the day when are familiar enough with physiology to refer to the terms used in this novel such as “lymph vessels, arteries, nerves, and whatnot” (368). The use of words that are unknown to us readers leaves us lost in the whole surgical process and we are only aware of what has occurred when we reach the end, which is what causes this sense of surprise and shock. This experience can be comparable to the unique feeling of being blindfolded while being driven around in a car. You can feel the vehicle moving left or right, but you have no idea of where it’s going until the very end and remove the blindfold. This is the same feeling when reading through one of the surgical processes in Cutting for Stone; You have no idea of the significance of certain surgical processes or the status of certain organs, or whether what occurred was a step in the right or wrong direction during a surgery, you just know whether the entire surgery was a success or failure based on the outcome of the patient at the end of the process, when your “sight has returned” from the removing of the blindfold that is Verghese’s medical vocabulary. This creates a sense of surprise and shock in readers when they come to the conclusion of all these scenes occurring at the operating table.
These depictions of dramatic surgeries are similar with film and television hospital dramas in that they both create an intense feeling of tension and, in the end, shock for the audience. They both use medical terms, but they are different in the way that reading Verghese’s scenes are much more difficult than viewing a scene at the operating table. When we view something it is much easier to understand what’s going on based on the characters’ reactions and we can see what is happening in the operating room, whereas reading something, especially when the subject is not common amongst the readers, can be more difficult since we can’t truly see what is occurring, we can only attempt to visualize the process using the author’s words. Although Verghese utilizes a lot of imagery in Cutting for Stone, it is still difficult to visualize these scenes because we may have no idea of what some of the medical terms he mentions look like, or what they mean, in the end making them harder to understand.
Ashley Cordeiro
Lana Karajeh
Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese is, as Sophia pointed out, chalk-full of medical terms that one may not be able to comprehend unless equipped with a dictionary. This medical detail, while foreign to almost all of us readers, aids in adding dimension to the scenes depicted in the text. For example, the horrific scene of Sister Mary Joseph Praise's labor was swimming in anatomical terms and medical detail, such as all the surgical tools used by Stone and Hema. While reading through this scene, there were many tools and a lot of language that I was not familiar with; however, there were times when I would find myself dreading what would happen next. The reason for this is because there were some terms that I was familiar with, and using my knowledge of these terms, I could anticipate what outcome would result. I am familiar with the term Cesarean section, for example, so I knew that if the baby was not coming out naturally and there was a need for a Cesarean section to be done, then Sister Mary or the babies, or both, must be in grave danger. Same with the blood; when Sister Mary is first brought into the Operating Theater, Matron notices the great amount of blood. Personally, I associate a great loss of blood with someone being near death. Medical detail like this creates tension because it places an unwanted thought in our head; Sister Mary is not going to make it.
The depictions of dramatic surgeries in Cutting For Stone have a lot in common with those of television hospital dramas. When watching these shows, the viewer can clearly see the organized chaos of the operating room; someone is clearly the main surgeon, others assist, and the problem the patient is dealing with is easily identified. In the book it is the same thing; each surgeon, such as Stone, Hema, etc. specializes in a certain field. The probationers and Sister Mary assist, and the five senses are used to identify the problem. Also, they are ; similar in that they both verbally discuss the course of action needed to be taken before operating. Lastly, the sense of camaraderie is clear between all the staff at the hospital; everyone thinks of each other as family.
Though similar, Cutting For Stone and TV hospital dramas have their differences. For example, on most TV hospital dramas, the staff think of the hospital they work in as their second home. In Cutting For Stone, however, Missing Hospital is their home; the staff (Hema, Ghosh, Gebrew, etc.) reside on the grounds of Missing. This aspect helps to add a genuine feeling of everyone being sort of like a family.
Jaret Wedow
David Avery
Answering to another part of the discussion question, It is some form of background, that make the surgeries so engaging, adding suspense and tension to the story. When Ghosh untwists Colonel Mebratu’s volvulus it is knowing that Ghosh has never done that kind of surgery that adds suspense. It is knowing Thomas Stone as a character that makes his amputation of his own finger so unnerving. It is personal bonds you form with characters, that allow these “medical details to create tension and surprise.”
Tanner Cunningham
In Abraham Verghese's novel, Cutting for Stone, a major use of medical overtone seems to have taken place within the novel (obviously). As the medical scenes unfold, Verghese has put an extensive amount of complex wording that may prove a challenge to some readers, I personally stared at "volvulus" for about a minute not knowing whether or not to be disgusted or intrigued. Although difficult to understand, Verghese uses medical language and detail in the novel specifically to make the reader think about the scene and to imagine it with the severity it intends to.
The use of this language in literature is meant for a specific purpose; imagery. An extensive scene that was notable was Sister Mary Joseph Praise's death, as Stone and Hema try to save her, it gives the reader an exclusive insight to see what would happen. Sophia mentions the "...hunch in the back of the viewer's mind that this person will live, even when death seems imminent." This tone is used primarily in medical dramas on film and television. Whatever it is, we are so intrigued to see a medical emergency occur, witnessing the doctor's remarkable attempts to save the victim and wondering whether or not they succeed in doing so. It is in this that we have to imagine the scene with literature. Film and television already gives us the scene without any effort from the viewer, the use of words in a novel forces the reader to use their imagination to create an accurate portrayal of the scene. The use of medical terms and events provides us with the challenge of properly inventing the scene within our minds to really receive the overall enthusiasm given off from our own imagination.
Cutting for Stone remains an extraordinary piece of literature. We all have grasped the incredible scenes of medical challenge and capability as well as the quest to commit the act of healing. Given these parameters, Cutting for Stone is the perfect novel to grasp something, Verghese purposely uses his expertise in medical experience to enact the enabling scenes in this novel that really separates it from others. The use of the human imagination is gratified through the mind, as we read Cutting for Stone.
Mallory Waldeck
While reading Cutting for Stone, I, an individual who does not know an extensive amount of information pertaining to the practice of medicine, have based my mental image of the surgeries taking place in Theater 3 on the diction and syntax used by Verghese. Almost expecting his readers to experience some degree of confusion, Verghese uses both very familiar words and almost foreign words when describing a scene taking place on the operating table. By doing so, a tension and stress is placed on the reader, leaving them to wonder what exactly is going on. One does not know whether they should feel dread or hope for the patient, like Kyle mentioned, because the only understand some of the procedure. In providing just enough information as Maddy stated, the reader feels more than obligated to continue reading to fill in the unclear gaps (thanks to the progressive in-depth context Verghese uses during each operation) and find out the result of the operation, allowing for the element of surprise to take action.
Similar to other television medical drama shows and Cutting for Stone, viewers/readers relate to what is happening as best we can. Whether I saw a man amputate his own finger or just read about it, I would still try to relate the pain to myself in the same way. However, when a major operation is taking place in the novel, as Sam explained, it is up to our imagination to form a mental scene, which in turn allows us to form feelings and emotion about the actions taking place. By simply watching the operation on the television, I do not have to form these thoughts and feelings on my own. I can see the emotion on the surgeons face’s, and base my prediction of the result on their actions. The element of surprise is taken away when presented in the form of a visual production, as we can clearly see the urgency, or lack thereof, in the operating room. Meanwhile when described in a book with advanced medical vocabulary, it is up to us and our imagination to figure out everything that is going on, leaving little mental space to form a prediction. Ergo, the element of surprise remains present.
Gagandeep Dhillon
In Verghese’s novel The Cutting Stone , there are many dramatic scenes in which characters go under the knife. Due to the fact that Verghese is a Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, he uses extreme medical diction during the procedures, which in turn creates tension and surprise for the reader.
To begin with, Verghese’s use of detail in describing the procedures, often included extensive amounts of blood and gore which I found surprising because unlike film and television operations where everything is usually tidy and non grotesque, there is a lot of blood and gore described in the novel. This aspect of the novel is surprising because its usually not as bloody in other procedures,
Secondly, Verghese always manages to show that there is a possibility of death in the scenes. No matter what Verghese always made it evident that death was very possible. This lead to tension because you do not know what the outcome of the operation will be.
Moving on, as Carissa stated, I believe that a similarity that tv dramas have with Verghese’s novel is that they both have the doctors often yelling back and forth. These exchanges are often rich in medical terminology that the reader and viewer may not comprehend. This lack of comprehension of the doctors lingo causes both the reader and the viewer to come to view the doctors as intelligent thus creating a belief that the doctors know what they are doing, which often leads to a sense of hope that the patient may live.
Also, as Carissa stated, in The Cutting Stone patients are characters in the novel, whereas in tv dramas the patients are complete strangers. I would like to take this a step further by saying that it was a genius idea by Verghese to make the characters the patients, because it really allows for the reader to root for either the success of the procedure or the failure, depending on how you feel about that given character. due to the fact that many of the TV patients have no background, the viewer can't become personally involved in the procedure.
Baylee Poole
In the novel, Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese uses medical terms and surgical language to keep the reader in a suspenseful state of mind for the unknown outcome of the performed surgeries. Just like Nikki, Katie and others mentioned, we do not have an equivalent amount of knowledge of the medical procedures being performed in this novel, compared to a doctor. As Katie mentioned in her response, because “we do not know the severity of the case…life or death seems possible.” For example, when Hema realized the twins were attached by their heads, she prayed that it would “…be only a blood vessel, and a minor one at that,” instead of “…meninges or ventricle or cerebral artery or cerebrospinal fluid…” (115). This quote shows that the use of medical terms creates suspense for the readers because, like Kyle said, “…the reader can assume an occurrence of any one of these medical conditions would be fatal.”
The tension and chaos occurring in Operating Theater 3 is similar to television, shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, because of the suspenseful life or death situations in the operating room. For an example, Grey’s Anatomy gives its viewers the suspense of whether or not a patient will survive the removal of a brain tumor. Throughout the operation, the doctors work frantically to make sure the patient will stay alive. Similar to when Hema was doing everything she could do to keep Sister Mary Joseph Praise alive after the babies were born. Verghese gave the reader hope that Sister Mary Joseph Praise would suddenly awaken from her last breath after all the procedures Hema was performing, but Hema was unsuccessful.
The difference between TV shows and Cutting for Stone is that a viewer watching Grey’s Anatomy has more of a visual on the operation compared to a reader trying to imagine all of the details of the operations being performed in the novel. With watching television, the viewer is able to predict a more accurate outcome of the procedure based off the actions of the actors. Unlike a viewer of TV shows, a reader has to imagine everything in their mind and base their predictions off of the given details. Being able to visualize something is an easier way to predict the outcome, compared to using your imagination and basing your predictions off of your own thoughts.
Cassidy Blanton
In Abraham Verghese’s novel Cutting for Stone, readers are introduced to a wide variety of medical terminology to accompany thrilling and detailed operations. These new terms provide readers with an obstacle they do not usually face; we are required to create our own images for a large portion of the novel, during some of the most intense scenes. As Monica stated, “…in reading this story you are required to place a body part with a name, imagine the intimate parts of where a muscle and bone connect, where they are separated”. While we have the ability to look up each term and therefor understand exactly what is happening, I chose to let my imagination fill in any medical descriptions. By choosing to see the story with our own minds, we create a unique version of the novel; no two people will picture quite the same operation. This sets a drastic difference from the “operations” we see on television, because in writing we are not given a fixed image. We, as readers, have the power to manipulate how we perceive each term; and in the case of Cutting for Stone, the lack of concrete images only makes it more graphic.
Right from the beginning, we are given the life story of Sister Mary Joseph Praise. We are told of her hopeful beginning, of her loss of innocence, of how she fell in love with a man that never knew of her feelings. In hearing her story, we begin to sympathize with her and grow to become fond of her character. It seems, however, that as soon as we form this connection it is broken by her inevitable death. Verghese provides readers with hints of the tragedy of Sister’s death along the way, found in lines such as “I learned later that no one had dared remove her cardigan from where it sat draped on the chair. It was a sacred object.” Though we have a sinking understanding that she won’t survive the birth of her twins, we cannot help but cling onto any shred of hope tossed our way. This is where the medical terms come into play; terms such as “Smellie scissors”, “Braun’s cranioclast”, and “Jardine’s cephalotribe” instil a strong sense of fear into our minds, and though we cannot picture them precisely, we are able to infer their sinister purpose.
Hema’s thinking process
during the procedure is perhaps one of the largest causes of anxiety for the
reader; thinking in medical terms is second nature to her. She presents us
lines such as “Let there be no brain or meninges or ventricle or cerebral
artery or cerebrospinal fluid or whatnot in it”. This trail of thought, though
simply put for her, gives readers pause. I found myself reading the phrase several
times over as my mind attempted to come up with an image to accompany the terms.
For someone with no knowledge of medical terms, reading Hema’s thoughts is like
trying to find your way out of a deep pool of water in complete darkness- we
cannot determine which direction our efforts are taking us, though our minds
and heartbeats race to find an exit. By using such complex terms, Verghese
creates a powerful tool; it heightens suspense, delivers hope, and establishes
a sense of trust in the doctor’s seemingly vast knowledge.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:20:49 PM UTC-7, Jed Miller wrote:
Sammi Lyons
Throughout Abraham Verghese novel, “Cutting For Stone,” he uses the medical detail to engage us as readers and to build up our tension to know what will happen next. As Nikki stated, the tension and suspense also builds up because of our inability to fully relate. Personally I have never any operation take place before, so I am clueless to the grammatical gestures and language taking place.
Starting with the horrible birth of the twins connected at the head, Verghese had me engaged because of the high tension in the room. Hema explains, “They could have seizures the minute I cut this. One twin could bleed out and the other overfill with blood,”(115) and immediately I want to know what will happen next. Not wanting to stop reading until I know what the outcome of the twins will be, I read each word waiting for whats next. Verghese builds the suspense by leaving the readers with such vast detail of what each operation is like so we begin to visualize it happening before us. Like Brandon stated. “As I was reading through these intriguing scenes in the novel, I did not want to stop,” Verghese drew his readers in and left them only wanting to know more.
Generally speaking, humans usually hate not knowing the outcome of situations. We read and also watch in order to figure out what actually ends up happening. That is why many are obsessed with TV shows that always leave you wanting to know whats next. Greys Anatomy, like many of my fellow classmates have mentioned, is a very popular hospital drama with many operation scenes. Unlike a book, where you have to use your imagination, Greys Anatomy give us a physical picture of what is happening. The reason there is suspense built up within the TV show is because of the details used in each operating room in order to intrigue the audience. They use commercial breaks just as the “good part” or climax of the episodes are about to take place; leaving us wanting to know what will happen even more. Vergheses doesn't have pictures within his book to give us the visual engagement, but he used the suspense of the our inability to know what happens next until we reading it.
Thomas Choonhaurai
In Cutting for Stone, Verghese uses a very knowledgable tone, which is reinforced by his extensive information of the medical field. I was immediately baffled and could only get a hold of what was happening by reading on. As Carissa pointed out, the book is very relatable to the medical TV shows we watch, where we are constantly hoping for the best outcome for whoever is on the operating table. There are many similarities between the book and a TV show, but they are also very different. For example, some of the ways TV shows will build up suspense: telling us the low percentage of an operation’s success, needing an organ donor and being on a long waiting list, etc. Verghese creates suspense another way: by putting a character of meaning in the operation room.
When Sister Mary Joseph Praise was in the operating room, the pressure Dr. Stone must’ve felt wouldn’t be comparable to what any surgeon on TV would show, or even what he would’ve felt working on any other patient, because Sister Mary is someone he knows, and the outcome wouldn’t just affect her family, it would affect himself as well. When I realized the weight on Thomas Stone’s shoulders, I couldn’t help but get antsy, sit on the very edge of my couch, and start reading faster until I found out what would happens. When I read that Sister Mary didn’t make it, I was dying to know what the doctor’s following actions would be.
After the operation, Dr. Stone vanished. Reiterating on the book’s similarities to a TV show, I felt that a surgeon on T.V. would actually do the same if they had just witnessed, almost caused, a death. They’d constantly be wondering if they should’ve done something different, trying to pinpoint their error so it would never happen again, and I don’t think they could just do this in a day and be able to get over the grief of their mistake without an extended break.
Dillon Page
As discussed, in his novel, Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese contininously brings the reader back to the operating table, where he eploys his seemingly vast (honestly most of us would not know if his depiction of the medical world were a complete sham, and in our ignorance, like cavemen before a magician, we praise him all the more) knowledge of medical terminology to both bring forth an atomosphere of a certain calm and collectedness mixed with the tightly constrained panic of both the observer and the surgen, as well as to bring the reader to feel as helpless as one of the medical students or less-practiced medical workers of the hospital, standing by wishing to assist in some form, but knowing they can do nothing. Jeret said it well when he explained the experience “Surgical language and medical terms are used during these surgeries to set the tone and also to excite and captivate the reader”. Indeed, Verghese’s writing seems to have a bewitching effect and, as a spectator, you are confined to a situation in which the only solace or reselution you can find is by continuing to turn the page and read on.
Much like the television hospital dramas, Abe creates frantic scene. Though unlike the modern day programming, he writes from an omniciant point of view, knowing the thoughts of his desired character helping them convey the status of the operation. This coupled along with the author’s frequent interruptions of the highly-intense scene to lay down interesting, but nonetheless interruptive, backstory, sets him apart from the popular films and shows.
As said by miss O’Neal “Entertainment gives leeway for laziness in imagination”, and in doing so, has let each individual reader come away with a slightly differently imagined scene. This also, in affect, lets the mood of the current scene influece how descriptions are seen. Such is the case in which Thomas grabs the “skull crusher”, as you might have as well, I imagined the instrument to be some gory, caroaded, torture like instrument, when in all probability, it was as clean and as seemingly normal as any of the other instruments, but because of the intensity of the scene, the one word “medival” that was used to describe the tool allowed my imagination to take me to draw much larger conjectures than the evidence would have otherwise permitted. Thus details were exaggerated for the benefit of the story.
Brandon Barragan
In my opinion, Cutting for Stone and many popular TV medical dramas are pretty different. For example the doctors on many TV medical dramas are often portrayed as though they can treat and heal almost any disorder or disease they come across as though they deal with it everyday. Also, in Cutting for Stone, Verghese provides abundant details about the procedure, which makes you feel you are there watching the procedure, while in many hospital TV shows you only see the before and after of the surgery which does not have as much suspense as feeling like you are there watching the surgery. Another difference between Cutting for Stone and TV hospital dramas, just like Sophia mentioned is that Cutting for Stone makes you utilize your imagination unlike TV dramas, because you can see what everything looks like, but in Cutting for Stone you have to paint a mental image of what everything looks like and what is happening in the book.
Ashley LaBass
In the book Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese describes many dramatic operating scenes, such as Thomas Stone amputating his own finger or the gruesome birth of Shiva and Marion. Throughout the book, Verghese uses complex medical terminology to describe graphic surgeries. I agree with Alejandro that the vocabulary used puts the audience in a state of suspense. This is because unless the reader is a doctor or a person who reads medical dictionaries for fun, you probably have no idea how severe the operation actually is. I like Young Money’s comparison of the diction used in Cutting for Stone being similar to being blindfolded in a car. I feel this portrays the feeling you get while reading this book accurately.
Verghese’s depictions of different operations in Cutting for Stone are similar to hospital dramas seen on television, such as Gray’s Anatomy House. They both contain tension and suspense that intrigue the reader and/or watcher. Verghese’s book and television dramas both contain uncertainty by always having the operating table as a place of “life and death.” Hospital dramas rely on visual images to convey the severity of a situation. However, in Cutting for Stone, Verghese uses medical terminology and tone to put the reader in a state of suspense until the final verdict of the patient’s health is realized. While both television shows and Verghese’s book contain high doses of tension, I agree with Molly and Mirell when they say that a book’s dramatic events are seen as more natural. It seems to me that it is more realistic when you have the thoughts along with the dialogue, because the thoughts of the operator allow us to experience his/her doubts, confusion, and their triumph or heartache after surgery. Even when Marion was just diagnosing people at Missing, it seemed more realistic because you could experience how he came to the decision of that ailment, unlike how in a medical television show when they just seemingly come up with the diagnosis automatically.
Grant Carrasco
rianf...@gmail.com
Julie Tvrdik
Abraham Verghese describes his many surgeries in his novel, Cutting for Stone, with an interesting choice of words. Since Verghese does not have a medical degree some of the descriptions are in lay men's terms that allow us to picture in our minds what is really going on in the surgery. I'm not sure I totally agree with Noah's statement about Verghese using hard medical terms because some of his terms were easy for me to understand such as during the description of the vasectomy Verghese uses the common term "balls" instead of the correct anatomical term "tentacles." In the birth of the twins I felt sorry for sister Mary Joseph because the birth was so drawn out. He really portrayed to the reader how much suffering she went through. To top it off even though Dr. Thomas stone is a "great surgeon" he had no idea what to do, or that she was giving birth. This created a huge amount of tension because the reader wants to hurry and find it if she will survive and if the babies will also survive.
Justin Kemper
Unlike many of the responses on here I do not not believe that the surgical scenes in cutting for stone relate those in dramas. Yes there are some similarities like a main surgeon or similar vocabulary like low blood preasure, but the scenes themselves are very different. first, in the shows, the camera primarily focuses on the surgeons, where as in the book, the focus is on the patient. The reader is able to picture more detail, like cutting of a finger or crushing a skull, when we read it. an author is not limited to how much gore and detail he would like to go in, whereas you can only show so much on t.v.