Pain Is Always Preferable To Numbness Analysis

Talzani’s words to Mark in a Kurdistan cave, “Pain is always preferable to numbness”, is a response to war in Triage as Mark learns that to feel pain is the only way to deal with his horrific past experiences. The journey Mark undertakes as a war photographer has a toll on his emotions and causes him to hide his pain and keep it to himself. Mark eventually learns to feel again and accept Collin’s death and get his life back. War relates to Mark as Mark always feels as though he is battling something within him that has come from his past and has stayed with him since. This silent thought have stayed inside of him and he chooses not to revel them to anyone but himself, but as the book continues Mark opens up to Elena and Joaquin, ending the war inside him and start recovering.

Mark subtly realizes that the only way he is going to overcome his
internal problems of his past as well as Collin, is to think deeply and express his emotions to others. Mark has to deal with two main problems, which are also themes throughout the book. These themes are also experienced throughout war. These themes are guilt and loss. One incident where Mark is faced with guilt is when there was a young boy who ran towards Mark and got shot whilst doing so. Mark admitted he felt guilty and said “I guess I felt responsible somehow” (Page 122). Mark finally admits this to Joaquin and is one of the first moments of his past that he admits caused him great inner pain. Loss is also another issue Mark is faced with. Collin’s death hit Mark hard as he refused to admit to anyone he died from the beginning. He lied to both Elena and Diane so that he would not have to deal with the realization that Collin won’t be coming back from the war. As Mark expresses both guilt to Joaquin and loss to Elena, Mark becomes aware of what has happened and learns to deal with his true emotions.

Marks denial of his internal guilt causes a mental and physical breakdown. The numbness that is his guilt starts but the pain of accepting the responsibility of that guilt must begin before forgiveness can be achieved. The story of Beirut is once again a classic example of his guilt. However, Joaquin helps Mark deal with this in a different way. Mark was always told it was never his fault and there was nothing he could do which made other people feel sorry for him. However, Joaquin tells him the opposite that it was in fact his fault. Joaquin can relate to his feeling of guilt due to his past experiences as a war psychologist, and questions him about him wallowing in his own guilt. Joaquin’s blunt attitude does in fact lead to Mark unlocking what hidden deep inside of him. Joaquin’s words “You never pass over them (our pains). You carry them with you forever. That is what it means to live” (page 24), come across to Mark as he can never be forgiven for the terrible things that have happened. The only thing that can forgive you is God, but as Mark does not believe in God Joaquin explains that he must learn to live with what he desperately wants to forget. Joaquin also shows Mark that there is only one person that will ever have the power to forgive him, which is he.

When Mark finally realizes that he can deal with pain and learn to live with it on a daily basis, he opens up to Elena and Joaquin to become a more stable person.
The final “goodbye” to Collin with the flowers drifting away in the river, is also representing the end of his emotional distress that occurred in his past. Elena watches on Mark after leaving the flowers in the river and sees Mark’s ‘painful journey’ come to an end. Elena believes that Mark still has signs of “sad hopelessness” (page 235) and will probably never fully recover of all his past experiences. But she remains faithful as she also believes he will return to his past self and “the promise of future laughter” (Page
235).

In final, “Pain is preferable to numbness” is a correct way to represent war in Triage.
Common themes that mainly are associated to guilt and loss refer to Mark. Mark discusses his past problems with Joaquin and breaks free of his constant emotionless life. Mark over comes his inner war which only he believed he is battling. By the end of the book Mark admits his loss of Collin and looks forward to what the future can hold for
him.