Being Mortal

by

Atul Gawande

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Being Mortal makes teaching easy.

Bella Silverstone Character Analysis

Bella Silverstone is Felix’s wife. In her late 80s, Bella’s vision degenerates and she becomes very frail. She and Felix live together in a retirement home until one day she falls and breaks both legs. As a result, she moves to a nursing home unit and staff members have to help her bathe and dress, making Bella feel that she has no control over her life or her actions. Seeing her helplessness, Felix moves her back to their apartment. This proves crucial, as four days after her casts come off, she passes away. But Felix is glad that he could provide her with some autonomy and comfort in the final days of her life, knowing that these things are just as crucial as safety.

Bella Silverstone Quotes in Being Mortal

The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Bella Silverstone or refer to Bella Silverstone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Medicine, Survival, and Well-being Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

Their apartment was only a floor away. But somehow that made all the difference. Exactly why can be hard to pinpoint. Felix still ended up hiring an around-the-clock staff of nurses and aides. And the remaining six weeks until the casts could come off were physically exhausting for him. Yet he was relieved. He and Bella felt more control over her life. She was in her own place, in her own bed, with him beside her. And that mattered tremendously to him. Because four days after the casts came off, four days after she’d begun walking again, she died.

Related Characters: Dr. Atul Gawande (speaker), Felix Silverstone, Bella Silverstone
Page Number: 58-59
Explanation and Analysis:
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Being Mortal PDF

Bella Silverstone Quotes in Being Mortal

The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Bella Silverstone or refer to Bella Silverstone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Medicine, Survival, and Well-being Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

Their apartment was only a floor away. But somehow that made all the difference. Exactly why can be hard to pinpoint. Felix still ended up hiring an around-the-clock staff of nurses and aides. And the remaining six weeks until the casts could come off were physically exhausting for him. Yet he was relieved. He and Bella felt more control over her life. She was in her own place, in her own bed, with him beside her. And that mattered tremendously to him. Because four days after the casts came off, four days after she’d begun walking again, she died.

Related Characters: Dr. Atul Gawande (speaker), Felix Silverstone, Bella Silverstone
Page Number: 58-59
Explanation and Analysis: