Chapter Analysis: Don Rameck's The Pact

In this chapter of The Pact talks about Rameck’s grandmother, Ma, seeing Rameck’s final achievements. Ma’s health is starting to decline and doctor diagnosed her with a liver cancer called cirrhosis. The liver is required to be taken out and replaced with a new one if the person is going to live. Rameck instantly volunteer to donate part of his liver, but his families discouraged him to do so. The doctor they go to does not provide any hopeful decision or support. But Ma still tells Rameck to not worry and focus on his medical work. Being supportive to those in need will help boost their mind to be more hopeful.
When Ma is getting older and older, her health is starting to become worse and worse. But that did not stop her from supporting the family. “But even on her sickest day, I never saw her break down or cry. ‘Don’t worry about me,’ she always said. But I did worry. Ma was slipping away, and knew it”(Rameck 232). Ma does not want to be selfish when talking to Rameck because she was the one that helped him to achieve the medical school. She have to keep support Rameck and see that he can finish school even if she is fading away slowly. Ma is trying to brighten

His doctor did not have a clear understanding of Ma’s illness. Rameck is the one that gets all the pressures “Doctors were unsure what had caused the cirrhosis. The family turned to me with their questions. I felt helpless… I didn’t have any answers”(Rameck 233). Rameck did not have any sort of experiences of illness that is outside of the book. Unlike Sam, he did not have the chance to see live surgeries being performed. His mind could not handle all the pressure of losing Ma and the questions being asked. He loses focus and start blaming himself as a medical student. All the school work and effort that Ma put all of her life into him, and he can’t even understand or find a way to help her