The protagonist is Paul Farmer, the
most amazing doctor who works the long defeat his entire life, meaning he works
incessantly to eradicate poverty and give decent health care to the poor even
though the attempt is almost impossible to achieve.
The greatest antagonist in this book is poverty and the inherent
epidemics that come with it. Of course, the people who turn their backs on poverty
are also the antagonists as are the government policies that allow it to flourish.
The climax occurs when Tracy Kidder finally
realizes the true definition of Paul Farmer's character: he is a man who is more
interested in trying to win over the long defeat, even though he wants to win.
The man tries to eradicate the evil of poverty and illness among the poor and
it's his trying that makes him great.
Many
of the goals Paul has set for himself come about, including the adoption of new
prescriptions for MDR-TB by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, again,
the outcome is still uncertain, because there is still so much for people like
Paul Farmer to do. If the world continues to turn its back on the health needs
of the poor, then the outcome will once again be uncertain rather than hopeful.
Tracy Kidder travels with, and
chronicles the life and work of Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer's mission is to serve
the poor in countries like Haiti, Peru, and Russia. It runs from approximately
1982 to 2003. Farmer's crusade is to end infectious disease and bring lifesaving
medicines to those that have no access to it and most need it.
The first and most important theme is: the poor
deserve decent health care and living
conditions. This is the message that Farmer promotes his whole
life from the individual patient to the greatest politicians of all the countries
of the world.
Another theme involves the idea of the long
defeat. This refers to Farmer's realization that changing the
fortunes of such poor countries as Haiti may be an impossible goal, but that he
refuses to give in and not try to win.
A third theme involves the
idea of the fortunate of the world turning
their backs on the poor and needy.
In spite of their great wealth, they fail to see the less fortunate around
them and usually do nothing to alleviate the problem.
A final theme is more subtle, but nonetheless important: the importance
of trying to imitate Paul Farmer
even though no one can ever
be like him. This means taking on the
same work with the same devotion as he does and hoping that you'll win
over the long defeat.
The mood
is often troubling and dark, but there are so many lights of hope along the way
that reader can't help but feel uplifted by the end.
Tracy Kidder was born in New York City on November 12, 1945. He graduated from Harvard in 1967. He served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army in Vietnam from 1967 - 1969 for which he received a Bronze Star. After the war, he earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree from The University of Iowa. He began writing for the Atlantic Monthly magazine in 1973 and has served as a contributing editor since 1981. In his relationship with the magazine, his articles have includes subjects such as: energy, architecture, the environment, and more. He also contributes to The New Yorker and the New York Times Book Review.
The Road to Yuba City: A Journey
into the Juan Corona Murders (1974)
The Soul of a New Machine (1981)
Pulitzer Prize and American National Book Award
House (1985)
Among
Schoolchildren (1989)
Old Friends (1993)
Home Town (1999)
Mountains Beyond Mountains (2003)
My Detachment: a Memoir (2005)
He has also written several short works of fiction.
He has received the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award (1990), the Ambassador Book Award (1990) and the Sarah Hale Award (1998).
Kidder lives with his wife and two children in western Massachusetts
and Maine.
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on A Long Way Gone".
TheBestNotes.com.
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