Me Before You Character Analysis

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

Disability has been a difficult topic of society for years. Many people find discomfort in the presence of the disabled and many feel pity for those who are disabled. Back in the 1800s, the disabled were perceived as unable to contribute to society, often forced to undergo sterilization, and forced into institutions and asylums (“A Brief History”). In fact, this treatment of the disabled and mentally ill has been persistent until somewhat recently, when the Civil Rights movement took place, and those with disabilities decided to take a stand for their rights. Although people with disabilities continue to face difficulties in finding jobs, legitimizing their opinion, having the right to vote, and choosing whether or not they receive or refuse

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.

Those with disabilities have to accept their lives as being deprived of some joyful instances that may never happen. Individuals with handicaps may not be able to be active with their (or other’s) children, dream jobs may not be within grasp, memories may not be accessible while other’s take them for granted and shun those who desire that which they’ve already acquired (“People With Disabilities”). Provided, life is hard with a disability but additionally, those with handicaps must suffer isolation which is unfavorable in multiple ways. With isolation the person has no help, no support, no companionship, and feel ultimately rejected shutting them down in a social manner (“People With Disabilities”).

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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,

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

Prior to this civil rights issues the disabled minority were not treated right so reimaging disability helps society as whole integrate into one. Yet even after all the progressive images of disabled people and political empowerment. Discriminating attitudes are still thriving according to the article, “Our society emphatically denies vulnerability, contingency, and mortality. Modernity pressures us relentlessly toward standardizing bodies, a goal that is now largely accomplishable in the developed world through technological and medical interventions that materially rationalize our bodies under the banner of progress and improvement.” (Thomson 524) Very much how the girls in the orphanage would exclude Maggie for not looking or acting like everyone

Disability is an attitude, not an attribute. The characters in this book, especially Sara, personifies this statement. Once the world can come to fully see this, then these stereotypes will cease to exist and everyone will be able to accept each other for who they truly are, for their self

This week’s discussion dealt with Individuals and Disabilities. Over the years, people who have a “disability" have been subjected to prejudice and more. And the first way to diminish someone is through language, by using words or labels to identify a person as "less-than," as "the others—not like us," and so forth. Once a person has been identified this way, it makes