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Chapter 19
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Everything Is Tuberculosis, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Science and Injustice
History’s Influence on the Modern Day
Family and Community
Stigmatization and Dehumanization
Nuance, Empathy, and Understanding
Summary
Analysis
Henry grew even more discouraged as his treatment halted completely. Little did he know, Partners In Health (PIH), had found the funds needed to give him highly personalized treatment; if he recovered, this would serve as an example that even drug-resistant TB could be treated in Sierra Leone. In the meantime, he was only allowed to languish in his room, as he was too contagious to be around other patients. He wrote poetry and, a devoted Christian, prayed. He wanted to live, if not for himself, for the sake of his mother, but his situation was impacted not just by his own choices, but also by historical forces, from impoverishment to colonialism. Eventually, his new treatment began, though it was not known if it would be effective, and his lungs had already been very damaged. He continued his treatment anyhow and hoped that it would finally work.
In his isolation and depression, Henry turns towards poetry and religion. Both poetry and religion are vital pieces of the human experience, and in highlighting Henry’s reliance on them in his darkest times, Green emphasizes both Henry’s humanity (further helping readers connect with him not only as a TB patient, but also as a human being) and the power of creativity and religion to help one fight against adversity. In this chapter, Green also emphasizes how Henry was in many ways powerless in the face of history to battle TB. Henry was a passive victim to “historical forces,” further strengthening the concept that a system is to blame for Henry’s circumstances rather than his own choices.
Active
Themes
