Harrison And Kalanithi's When Breath Ends: A Literary Analysis

Both Ken Harrison and Paul Kalanithi experience what most would consider tragic endings to promising lives. Ken Harrison, a devoted sculptor and art professor in the play, Whose Life Is It Anyway, loses all mobility in his body after an accident, while neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, the author of When Breath Becomes Air, confronts his probable death during his battle with stage-four lung cancer. In both situations, the protagonist is condemned to almost certain death, which is tragic; however, each manages to produce some form of positivity out of the mournful situations. Analyzing both cases shows that both Ken and Paul have left behind a legacy that transcends their somber passing. Ken Harrison, who is stable but finds that he truly only has

Hazel Biggs, author of Euthanasia, Death With Dignity and The Law, writes that patients “fervently desire to take their own lives but are physically prevented from doing so” because people (most importantly doctors) have their own moral dilemmas on the subject (Biggs 107). This conflict of values and rights sparked the debate between doctors and patients about who has the ability to make such arduous decisions. One the on hand doctors practice to will to keep going and pushing until there is a fix for the problem. However, Ken would argue that he should not have to “live at any price” because if he cannot be self-supporting than he will “spend the rest of [his] life in the hospital’ which is an “act of deliberate cruelty” (Clark 54-55). To have the option of ending his life on his terms would give clarity to his life. Effectively, Ken’s case is an inspiration in itself, as it would create the legal precedence of giving patients the right to choose their own fates. For Ken, the clarity comes in the form of having his body represent choice rather than some sort of “medical achievement”, like Frankenstein’s monster-as he puts it sarcastically (Clark 56). Such precedents can be valuable, even today. One parallel to of Ken’s case is Brittany Maynard, who only a few years ago was diagnosed with terminal cancer and wished to take her

His book, a curt but detailed platform provided Paul with the opportunity to articulate to readers and most importantly, family, why he lived a long meaningful life. In a TED Talk by BJ Miller, he states that patients, “those who suffer” like Paul, want to “allow life to play itself out” until the end turns into a “crescendo” (Miller “What Really Matters”). For those who may not know, a crescendo builds up to something that is much more melodramatic than where it started, so Miller is trying to portray that life builds up to the end, it is just up to the individual to find that self-fulfilling clarity. All throughout life Paul looked for ways in life to experience life deeply, rather than become a doctor who examined life under a scope. One example of this was a childhood story where he had to decide between a summer in a lab or a summer camp that was all about having quality time by experiencing life. Any serious medical professional would have chosen the lab job, but Paul chose to experience life instead of study it. Just like in Millers speech, Paul was not afraid of death; he was afraid of suffering in life, but Paul insisted avoiding pain was not the point. However, Paul never seemed to struggle in finding ways to live life without a fear of dying. Throughout his book, Paul talks about how he has