What Is The Difference Between The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

There is not one specific part of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly that left a lasting impression on me. The author's wit and humor despite being disabled struck me throughout the entire piece. I literally laughed out loud during several passages of the memoir especially at (Bauby, 1997, p 12)“If I must drool, I may as well l drool on cashmere.” I think it is important to note that people who have physical disabilities but not mental disabilities are able to recognize their disability. This phrase gave me a deeper sense of the difference between a physical and mental disability: “I can weep quite discreetly. People think my eye is watering.” (Bauby, 1997, p 31). The author is clearly aware of their physical limitations and how a typical person reacts to
I carefully read each letter myself. Some of them are serious in tone, discussing the meaning of life, invoking the supremacy of the soul, the mystery of every existence. And by a curious reversal, the people who focus most closely on these fundamental questions tend to be people I had known only superficially. Their small talk had masked hidden depths. Had I been blind and deaf, or does it take the harsh light of disaster to show a person's true nature?” (Bauby, 1997, p32). I think the passage is ironic in that this book is written in the light of disaster and is a testament to the true nature of the author. Persevering through a total loss of physical function could have understandably caused the shutting down of the author's mind. The disability did quite the opposite and it is obvious through the humor and elaborate descriptions of every-day happenings that the author continued to have a rich inner life despite being bed-ridden and wheel-chair