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A Cripple

 

            In one essay, Nancy Mairs, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, labels herself "a cripple." Mairs chooses this straightforward statement in order to inform the reader of her acceptance of the ramifications of her illness as well as her courage in face of the devastating malady. The honesty and sometimes bitter tone of the piece help convey Mairs" message behind her blunt assessment.
             Mairs" ardor for the truth explains why she chooses to call herself a cripple. Mairs refuses to describe herself with kinder sounding euphemisms such as "disabled" or "handicapped" because she feels their definitions do not accurately describe the limitations imposed by her illness. Though she realizes that declaring herself a cripple might seem like a harsh statement to others, the author believes it is the term which fits best. "I like the accuracy with which it describes my condition. I have lost full use of my limbs." According to Mairs, the other popular euphemisms negate the magnitude of her illness. "I refuse to deny that I have lost anything in the course of this calamitous disease." The author's refusal to sugarcoat her ailment demonstrates her reasons for calling herself a cripple.
             A bitter tone throughout the essay also imparts Nancy Mairs" basis for pronouncing herself a cripple. As Mairs writes in lines 10-13, "I want them to see me as a tough customer, one to whom the fates/gods/viruses have not been kind, but who can face the brutal truth of her existence squarely." This remark suggests that while she is angry that multiple sclerosis has robbed her of the ability to walk, she is still willing to face up to the disease. In another example of the bitter tone in the essay, Mairs writes, "Society is no readier to accept crippledness than to accept death, war, sex, sweat, or wrinkles." This passage indicates her agitation with society's inability to face the difficult truth in the way she has done.


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