Me Before You Character Analysis

What comes into one’s mind when they think of a disabled person? Most people feel pity and embarrassment, and feel these disabled people are nothing but useless. In “Disability,” writer Nancy Mairs discusses the experience of being a disabled person in a world focused on strong and healthy people. The danger in this single story is that people with disabilities are discriminated against and put away with forgotten care. Mairs states, how debilitated individuals are continually barred, particularly from the media. People with disabilities are the same as the average American person, but because they are disabled, they are seen as meaningless human beings and

No Pity Chapter Update In No Pity by Joseph P. Shapiro, he first started off with the background and the internal characteristics of people with disability, “Tiny Tims, Supercrips and the End of Pity.” Shapiro discussed on how the society has been long held the idea of people with disability as a form of pity, a form of child-like-image and dependent. Followed that, people with disability, when they were young, were asked to be “feature” on a poster with a “promising goal” that it would raise enough money to support them overcome their disability; however, it is a form to increase pity in others. Additionally, people with disability do not want to be viewed as they are a form of pity; they want to be treated like everyone else.

Two main characters that represent paralyzed people do not discriminated against by people without disabilities in The Intouchables

In Nancy Mairs’ article for The New York Times, “Disability”, published in 1987, she expresses her distaste with the media's representation of handicapped people. Mairs, who struggled with multiple sclerosis herself, clearly and sharply conveys this disgust by stating, “I’m not, for instance, Ms. MS, a walking, talking embodiment of a chronic incurable degenerative disease.” (Mairs 13), and that she is actually, “the advertisers’ dream: Ms. Great American Consumer. And yet the advertisers, who determine nowadays who will get represented publicly and who will not, deny the existence of me and my kind absolutely”(Mairs 14). Mairs is greatly upset that disabled people are defined by their disabilities and, therefore, are underrepresented in public media. This might lead to one asking themselves, but why are they? And the answer, according to Mairs, is quite simple, “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anybody’s life”(Mairs 14). Mairs concludes by pointing out how this effacement could have dangerous consequences for both disabled people and, as she called everyone else, TAPs (Temporarily Abled Persons) alike. Treating disabilities as an abnormal characteristic (as opposed to viewing them “as a normal characteristic, one that complicates but does not ruin human existence” (Mairs 15)) can cause one of these repercussions, as it makes the

To most a disability seems like a hinderance, but to others it's what makes them unique, and they shouldn't be frowned upon for it. In the novel The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time by Mark Haddon the main protagonist Christopher John Francis Boone faces both internal and external conflicts and this helps build up courage and bravery. He is faced with mystery and having to deal with his family at the same time. He needs to conquer bravery yet stay away from danger. Lastly, he needs to learn how to accept and forgive while fighting against his disability. After all of these difficult tasks he grows as a person and discovers who he truly is. We all have a little Christopher inside of us.

Humans are social creatures. We identify ourselves through our community, loved ones, and those who genuinely appreciate our presence. Our identity defines our personality traits, highlight social roles. Those with disabilities are often confused about their identity because they are misunderstood and stigmatized. Through the use of literature, one can empathize better with other people especially those who are misunderstood by society. Disabled people are more likely to be neglected and subjected to prejudice or discrimination. In “Delusion of Grandeur”, Terry Ann Thaxton, talks about the struggle between Adam and his mother because of his disability. Adam struggles to cope with his environment and finds himself isolated and misunderstood. Families ultimately suffer but through their experience, they can learn some amazing lessons.

Disability has appeared frequently in recent films (Byrd & Elliot, 1988), a reflection of society’s interest in the subject. These films often misrepresent disability using stereotypes. These stereotypes reinforce negative and incorrect social perceptions of, and attitudes towards,

Displayed in the media to this day are people shown with disabilities. These people are wrongly perceived by society as heroes or sensations. Instead of focusing on that, we should focus on how they are able to overcome the disability during their daily lives. A very trusted author and professor of journalism, Charles A Riley, wrote a book called “Disability and the Media: Prescriptions for Change”. After carefully analyzing this text from Everything’s an Argument, it is clear that Riley wants to adjust the way society views people with disabilities. He is against the fact that people with disabilities are not known for who they really are. I agree with Riley’s stance and can feel what he is expressing throughout his text.

Throughout the history of the world, people with mental disabilities have been wrongly punished for their behavior. Unfortunately, this continues even today. Lennie Small in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men along with Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote from The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha are both examples of this unjust treatment. Don Quixote sees himself as a gallant knight in a world where knight-errantry has become extinct. On the other hand, Lennie is a child in an adult’s world. Due to not seeing the world as it is “supposed” to be, both are punished by the people for their misguided actions.

In the 1967 film, Wait Until Dark, the main character’s disability is what drives the narrative of this suspense/thriller. Although it seems like disability should not fit into the horror film genre, this film proves otherwise. By putting a blind protagonist, Susy Hendrix, at the forefront of the ruse that is masterminded by the enigmatic antagonist, Roat, we understand that having a disability does not make you incompetent. On the contrary, what the movie is trying to say about disability is that it exists and people learn to live with it; therefore, you shouldn’t underestimate someone who has a disability. The meaning of the film is clearly embedded with the narrative of the film.

People with disabilities often feel like a burden in society, much like Lennie in the novel. With strict standards set by society of beauty and

The characters in the story “The Life You Save May be Your Own” show people with different kinds of disabilities, whether it be a physical disability or a mental disability. Each character shows disabilities that make them isolated from the society and cause them to lose something important in the future. Lucynell has a clear physical disability given from the beginning of the story, but her disability actually emphasizes her innocence compared to other characters in the story. Tom Shiftlet also has a physical disability but shows more of his mental disability where he shows sides of a hypocrite and along with great obsession. Mrs. Crater, similarly to Tom, shows great obsession and greed but in the ends fails to gain what she really wants to and loses what is important to her.

Individuals with developmental disabilities face many problem in our society due to our low expectations that we have for them. Yes they do have problems, but just like everyone else they have their strengths and weaknesses. There may be things that I’m not good at, but I still have the ability to find a good paying job that involves my strengths. By looking at the two essays, For Hire: Dedicated Young Man With Down Syndrome and An Inside View of Autism I was able to see how much our society discriminates against their unique features. We should focus on each person’s strengths rather then generalizing about all individuals with developmental disabilities.

There aren’t many shows or movies that revolve around or even include characters and actors that suffer from disabilities. In most situations when someone is casted to play a character that suffers from an illness, medical condition, or disability, a person who actually doesn’t struggle with any of those conditions is casted, which doesn’t really show any true representation for people with certain conditions. Even when a show or movie includes a character with a disability, the disability isn’t life-threatening. When a show or movie includes a character with a disability, a person who doesn’t actually live with the disability is casted. The television show Glee has gotten a lot of negative attention for casting a non-disabled actor to play a character who suffers from paraplegia, which is also known as leg paralysis. Hollywood has barely made any progress towards hiring actors with disabilities. When a show does include a disabled person, it often is full of negative stereotypes, which just shows that the writers did little to none research on living with a

It teaches the viewers that how those with disabilities are treated is more limiting than the disability itself is, and that a disability can be an ability. Pixar allows children a more empathetic view by making these disabilities character traits and perks in contrast to making them theatrical plot points of the film. I believe “Finding dory” beautifully addresses societal issues that we face today in disability culture. It has opened my mind to the acceptance and perception of the people around me and I recommend viewing the film and learning to be a better human