The Diving Bell And The Butterfly Analysis

Analyzing The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The poignant story of Jean-Dominique Bauby’s life begins in December 1995, when he finds himself in a hospital, recovering from a severe coma, both paralyzed from head to toe and unable to speak. Though Bauby’s mind is still intellectually intact, he is diagnosed with what most people call today, “locked-in-syndrome”. Through his powerful words, Bauby, the author and narrator of this story, takes us on a journey filled with pain, loss and courage. I believe that though Bauby did indeed have a disability, he only fit into two of the three definitions categorized as having a disability; these being, function barriers (impairments) , activity barriers (Disabilities) and participation barriers (Handicap).
Bauby expresses his sorrow and frustration clearly, in the sentence, “... I am torn between joy at seeing them living, moving, laughing, or crying for a few hours, and fear that the sight of all these sufferings…” (Bauby, 1997, pp. 17) Although conflicted between feeling gratefulness and bitterness, Bauby reveals his fear of never being the father his kids need him to be, or the man his wife needs. It is during these moments where Bauby comes to miss the simple and mundane experiences of life, such as being able to play board games with your son or as he states, being able to complete the simple task of swallowing one’s saliva. “...I would be the happiest of men if I could just swallow the overflow of saliva that endlessly floods my mouth…” (Bauby, 1997, pp. 12) These factors give proof that Bauby has activity barriers in his life that hinder him from doing everyday tasks including smiling, or even eating a meal. In this memoir he mentions, “...A domestic event as commonplace as washing can trigger the most varied emotions, or eating.” (Bauby, 1997, pp. 16) The facts that Jean-Dominique Bauby cannot eat normally, that is without the help of a gastric tube, or breathe naturally without
For while his body does not function properly, and though he is not able to complete small tasks such as taking a shower etc., Bauby’s mental capacity and strength is what astonishes his readers. In addition, the fact that he is able to analyze and add humor in his stories gives more evidence to believe that he is not a handicap. We see an example of this when Bauby and other patients are taken into a clinic to have some tests done, he instantly acknowledges the uncomfortable and judgemental glares of the other patients in the room. Due to his condition, these “tourists”, as he so eloquently calls them, seem to label Bauby as an outcast. “Below, people laugh, joke, call out. I would like to be part of all this hilarity, but as soon as I direct my one eye toward them, the young man...and the homeless man turn away, feeling the sudden need to study the ceiling smoke detector. (Bauby, 1997, pp. 33) Although he cannot speak or move, we see how in tact Bauby’s mind is because he even goes further to mock the other patients by sarcastically remarking how “the ‘tourists’ must be worried about fire...” (Bauby, 1997, pp. 33) while in reality, he knows they are purposefully ignoring him. If Bauby had participation barriers, he would not be able to think and respond in the way that he did to the patients. Thus, Bauby’s