The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde (March 2018)
Audre Lorde’s 1980 account of living with breast cancer is a powerful voice that details trauma's empty aftermath with insight and wisdom. Her firm belief that feelings without voice cannot be put to use shines through with each word and her writing is pure encouragement for those struggling to do the same with their own secret fears.
This book is so valuable because Lorde practices what she preaches throughout the work. From her point of view, a survivor has a unique opportunity to become a teacher. The perspective and insight gained through trauma can be infinitely valuable to others who are struggling to reconcile their own experiences. If a survivor can be supported and encouraged to share the story of the experience, the entire world will surely benefit. Lorde’s book is one example of the many ways a survivor can do this; instead of merely enduring a difficult time, she became an expert on the matter and shared her understanding with as many others as possible through writing, speaking, and teaching.
Of course, this is far easier said than done. Trauma has a way of rendering the simplest tasks impossible. I can relate to those who report being unable to remember anything about the time after a traumatic event. I can also understand the feeling of being unable to think clearly in the weeks and months after such an event. As Lorde points out in The Cancer Journals, the practical challenges of living post-trauma are often overwhelming enough to justify putting off the emotional work for a later time. Anyone playing a support role for a trauma victim will do well to keep this in mind – the sooner the practical challenges are overcome, the faster a survivor can move on to the work needed to face a new self in the mirror every morning.
One up: Reader, there were actually too many good remaining ideas to list in this one space. So, look for a follow up post shortly where I review more of the insights from this book.
For today, I’ll highlight how much I liked the idea that the way to fight prejudice is not for the minority to pretend they are the majority. I’ve been doing some (probably misguided) thinking lately about how we still seem to reserve taking offense to those in the victim’s racial (or religious, or ethnic, and so on) peer group. If we onlookers became able to share the feeling of hurt and outrage experienced by a victim instead of merely settling for being disturbed or uncomfortable in such situations, I think the tide in the battle against prejudice would permanently shift in a much-needed direction toward shared feeling and experience.
One down: Lorde explores how we prioritize the physical over the spiritual in various ways throughout this work. One example was the prosthetic. For Lorde, the prevalence of prosthetics reinforces society’s script for body image. It also sends a subtle message that addressing the emotional pain associated with losing a body part matters far less than restoring the sum total of outward appearance.
At its worst interpretation, this is a statement about how a focus on the physical is used to reduce or dismiss the needs of the spirit. By reframing the complex problem of emotional loss into a simple mechanical issue of restoring a missing part, we are able to move on with a sense of completeness despite failing to address another’s need. A more positive view would suggest that we all want to help but many find it easier to help with the physical rather than the emotional.
Just saying: Sooner or later, Lorde says, what we fear speaking about will kill us. The thought is not entirely literal, of course, but the way we avoid the sick or damaged as if they are contagious stems from a reluctance to speak openly about certain illnesses. In trying to protect others through a well-intended silence, we subtly reinforce the untouchable status of the sick and isolate the spirit at the exact moment it needs connection.
