Back to the Lake (Chapter 4) Writing Prompt

*Due Monday, September 16*
Option 1

A good narrative entails a purpose, or the reason why the narrative was written. Through the purpose of a narrative, readers are able to gain insight into the author’s mind and it also allows the author to reflect upon his own experiences and understand himself better. Along with having a purpose, a good narrative should also have a plot, chronology, and a consistent point of view. Good narratives should make use of sensory words in order to engage the readers and make the story come alive.

After reading Jeff Gremmels’ narrative "The Clinic", I felt inspired as I am fascinated by the human psyche. It was interesting to see the way Gremmels handled the patient, a young boy. He chose the easy route of looking for a physiological explanation to the boy's unexplainable symptoms, ignoring the option of venturing into the human psyche. If the patient's ailment had been physiological, Gremmels could have just prescribed medication for the him. However, since the truth about the parental abuse was revealed, it was clear that the remedy would have to involve more than mere pills and cough syrup. Although anti-depressants and therapy sessions exist for victims of mental abuse, they can never be fully treated, partly due to the high chance of relapse. I find it fascinating how much harder it is to treat a psychological disorder than a bodily disorder.

As a writer, I enjoyed Gremmels' use of metaphors and descriptive language. When Gremmels writes, "The knots refused to give," in a way he was speaking for himself and the boy. The boy was pained from self-mutilation and his step-father's abuse which manifested itself in the form of a stomach-ache. As the boy endures his stay in the doctor's office, his stomach-ache which can be described as a knot in his stomach remains. In the case of Gremmels, he is nervous and worried which causes the knot in his stomach since he is unable to diagnose the boy. I also like Gremmels inclusion of the boy's poem which shows the boy's true feelings that has been kept hidden from everyone.

"The Clinic" is both Gremmels and his patient’s story. It is Gremmels story as it changes his perspective in approaching cases. Gremmels learns that rather than immediately seeking an answer, it is better to fully understand the cause of the problem. The narrative begins with Gremmels’ inexperience as a second-year medical student but as the narrative ends, it shows Gremmels’ willingness to learn. It is also the patient’s story as it reveals to readers the fear and anxieties the boy must have felt while being abused by his stepfather. It also reveals the boy’s loneliness and hopelessness; the boy was unable to tell anyone of the abuse, including his own mother and felt as though there was nothing he could do about the abuse. The poem written by the boy further reveals his sense of hopelessness and shows how depressed and defeated the boy was.     

Gremmels purpose for writing this narrative was to demonstrate that no matter how much you learn from lectures and textbooks, those terms and definitions are not always practical in dealing with actual patients. Gremmels reveals his purpose in his last line, “Years of lectures, labs, and research could not match the education I received in five days with this single boy.” It does not matter how well a person performs on exams, it is the person’s approach to client’s cases that matter. The person must also be open to learning from their patients and learning from their mistakes.

Gremmels chose medical detective as the genre for his story since being a doctor is similar to being a detective. The doctor, like the detective, has a case to solve and to solve the case, they must gather clues ranging from visible clues such as the U-umlaut bruises on the boy’s body or verbal clues such as the information provided by the boy’s mother. The doctor and detective then compiled the clues they have obtained and examine them and thought difficulty, are able to come up with a solution. Since this is in the case of a doctor, it would be make sense to place the story in a medical detective genre.