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
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
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