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An Analysis Of Chris Crutcher's Deadline

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Roland Barthes, French philosopher and linguist once said, “Each of us has his own rhythm of suffering.” In saying this, Barthes familiarizes the reader with the idea that everyone copes with the negative aspects in their lives, big or small, in many different ways. He compacted an invaluable message into a single sentence. Chris Crutcher, author, family therapist, and ardent advocate against the censorship of literature, does the same thing in his 2007 novel, Deadline. Deadline is about 18 year old Ben Wolf, who goes to the doctor’s office for a sports physical and leaves with a diagnosis of a rare, fatal blood disorder and a year to live. Ben decides to keep his diagnosis a secret, and as the novel progresses, he has to deal with the consequences …show more content…

In the onset of the book, when Ben is first told that he has a blood disorder, he has to find a way to immediately cope with the news. His primary reaction is to escape from the situation, to get a “breather,” so to speak, and he requests said escape through a witty remark, as he often will throughout the novel: “‘You got no sharp instruments in here, Doc, and nothing to make a noose. Go’” (Crutcher 4). Trusting that Ben won’t do anything he would regret, Doctor Wagner did as Ben asked and left the room. Once alone, Ben considers what his options were regarding telling his loved ones, in specific, his family. Of this Ben discloses that, “...bringing [his family] Doc’s news would break the fragile symmetry of [their] lives” (Crutcher 6). Upon realizing this, Ben leaves the hospital and goes for a run. Running, as well as football, become a coping mechanism for Ben throughout the novel. However, in the end of the novel, the reader can notice a drastic change in Ben’s overall character, especially in his last few days. Ben is suddenly willing to accept his death, which he was unable to do before, even when the effects of his disease were beginning to become more evident in his daily life. Ben begins, as he describes, “...living in a gauzy haze…”(Crutcher 304). He goes on to explain that he is continuing to become weaker and weaker, but he manages to keep his core …show more content…

This change in Ben’s character supports the theme because Ben is finally able to both face and cope with the loss of his life using healthy methods. These methods contrast greatly with how he dealt with his loss in the beginning of the novel. In relation to Ben’s coping methods, his eventual girlfriend, Dallas Suzuki's technique of dealing with loss. For instance , after Ben and Dallas return from the homecoming

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