My discussion question is, Throughout the novel, how is Guevara affected by the medical-related inequalities he faces? As a 23-year-old medical student almost entirely finished with school, Guevara was viewed as a “leprosy expert.” At the time, he had treated 3,000 patients with leprosy and had become familiar with the leprosy centers of Latin America (Guevara, 59). While traveling through Latin America, Guevara was faced with many inequalities, specifically involving the poor and their health conditions. A specific example of this is when Guevara comes in contact with an old woman with asthma, who held a job as a waitress. He described her as being in a pitiful state. Significantly, upon treating her, Guevara states, “It is at times like this, when a doctor is conscious of his complete powerless, that he longs for change…” (70). He goes on to say that in this state, it defines the individuals poor families as they are unable to pay their way out of this state. Guevara resents himself for not being able to do much for the woman, despite his medical knowledge, further showing that he wants to strive for change in the system. Another example is when Guevara visits Huambo and observes the conditions of a medical center there that contains leprosy patients. He is appalled to find out that it lacks a laboratory and surgical facilities, as well as that its location is infested with mosquitoes. As a soon-to-be doctor, Guevara hopes to make a change in the conditions that he is seeing and make the living conditions of the poor better.
Leave a Reply