Triage Mark Walsh Analysis

The novel "Triage" by Scott Anderson demonstrates Mark Walsh's progress when the stage of denial he is in finally comes to an abrupt stop. A pivotal image in "Triage" is the paradox of the healer to hasten the death of the "incurables". Joaquin Morales shoots those whom he can not cure in order to help the community whilst Ahmet Talzani shoots them due to the fact he may not be able to help them. Both of these men are quiet alike, but it is Joaquin who helps Mark combat the guilt he has bottled up inside. Marks healing begins when Joaquin aids him in getting through all the guilt he has kept deep inside of himself.

Mark Walsh, a photojournalist who hides behind the lens of his camera, is witness to the traumatizing events of war, such as the boy in Beirut and the woman in Uganda. Marks psychological disintegration occurs in the aftermath of returning from the war in Kurdistan. Marks grief gradually becomes worse due to such a vexationing event of his best friend Colin's death. Not only is Marks psychological state deteriorating he is declining physically too and cannot handle the impact of life itself any longer and his lover Elena can see this and wants him to seek immediate help.
Elena Morales, Marks lover has always been there for Mark after he came back from his assignments. She sensed there was something wrong with Mark and could not quiet comprehend what he was going through when he returned from Kurdistan. Emotionally Mark and Elena were dead, but physically they were alive such as when they would sleep together. Mark would alienate himself from the rest of the world and would always be in some sought of a trance. Marks denial of Collins death was progressively degenerating and wasn't getting any better from the help of his friends and family.

Marks father had stated abruptly "this shit takes its toll" and was referring to Marks current state of not being able to handle the pressure that is upon his back. The weight of the guilt made Mark go into a state of emptiness, the guilt was hanging off him just like the weight of Colin's motionless body pinning him down to the bottom of the river. Mark tries to hide the fact that Colin is dead whenever he is confronted about the subject. Elena asked him "wheres Colin" Mark simply replied "I don't know". Mark tries to prove to Elena and his photojournalist friends that whatever he was doing wasn't wrong; in a sense Mark was seeking out their forgiveness, when idealistically he needed to forgive himself to release the weight that he has been carrying ever since he returned from Kurdistan. Joaquin Morales tries to help Mark through his healing process.

Joaquin Morales, Elena's grandfather whom is a psychoanalyst allegedly came to New York to help "cure" Mark. Joaquin didn't come to help Mark; originally he came with an alternative thought. Joaquin's rumination was to get close to Mark in order for him to build a bridge between he and his grand-daughter Elena, the only member left of his family to get closer to her. Elena felt that Joaquin was a "fraud"; Joaquin could not live with the fact knowing that he was going to die and his own blood despised him. Joaquin and Mark are embraced with a long journey ahead of them to help "cure" Marks denial.

When Elena, Mark and Joaquin moved to Spain it was then and there Mark began to stray away and become even more alienated from the world. When he was searching for "the beast of Olia" (Carlos Perez), Mark wasn't really searching for Carlos, but he was trying to find himself. Mark was constantly "living with the dead" and he needed to find himself. He would constantly be "talking" to Colin, imagining that he is still by his side when he had recurring flash backs of what took place in Kurdistan. Mark isn't able to separate fantasy from reality and found it difficult to communicate with other people in specific ways.

Joaquin shows Mark that he needs to stop "living with the dead" it's the "survivors who matter". By taking Mark through the process of "healing" he would be able to release the prolonged affliction he has been carrying after Colin's death. Mark needs to be able to forgive himself and understand that Colin dying was not his fault and is a part of "fate". Joaquin blatantly stated to Mark "people die in war because they do".

People dying in war is shown when Joaquin and Talzani hasten the death of those whom they believe they can not help.
Joaquin had to shoot the "incurables" because he knew they would be a danger to the community and Ahmet Talzani uses the system of "Triage" due to "the people need to believe there is a system" and that there is no order to whom lives and who dies in war. Mark begins to believe that it wasn't his fault of what happened to Colin and shoes that he is finally able to forgive himself and let the tight grasp he has been holding over himself like the grasp around his head of Colins body when he throws a bunch of wild flowers into the "Guadefelo River", Mark is finally freeing himself and releasing Colin's spirit that he felt was with him through his journey of
denial.

Mark Walsh shows that progression begins when the stage of denial ends. Mark wasn't able to forgive himself for a prolonged period of times and was finding it hard to cope in life. Gradually as time progressed Joaquin has helped him to find the inner peace that Mark had long fully been yearning for by phasing out the denial that was deep in his thoughts.