Classic English literature
The two works focus on issues regarding marriage. They focus on what happens when one spouse in a marriage is absent spiritually but only present physically. Is there justification for the healthy spouse to seek companionship from another person while his or her spouse is still physically present despite his or her condition?
The novel Still Alice by Lisa Genova is about a 49 year old woman, who is a wife, a mother and a teacher but whose life take a sudden turn to the worst when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Alice Howland life literally comes to a halt. She loses her career, independence and encounters difficulties in expressing herself. She is also at a risk of losing her spouse as she cannot conceptualize the world around her (Genova 23).
In the short story The bear came over the mountain Fiona, Grant’s wife and Aubrey, Marian’s husband have also been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The two find solace in each other when they meet in an institution in which they are placed by their respective spouses. The two even establish a romantic bond that seems to help improve on their condition. Fiona is really affected when Aubrey’s wife withdraws him from the institution. Grant attempts to convince Marian to allow Aubrey to be visiting Fiona at least to help improve on her condition (Munro 48).
Alzheimer’s disease is the worst form of dementia. This is a brain condition that is associated with loss of cognitive abilities (Callone 34). An individual diagnosed with this condition loses the ability to recall simple occurrences, cannot perform some basic everyday activities and even loses the perception of one self. Such individuals are only present in their physical bodies but perceive nothing of their surrounding environments.
Works cited
Callone, Patricia. Alzheimer’s disease: The Dignity Within: A Handbook for Caregivers, Family
and Friends. Sydney: ReadHowYouWant.com, 2010. Print.
Genova, Lisa. Still Alice. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009. Print.
Munro, Alice. The Bear Came over The Mountain. New York: New York University press,
2001. Print.
