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Giang Quyên
The OB/GYN who treats Thi Bui as Bui goes through labor and gives birth to her son. Although she is matter-of-fact and nonthreatening, she also does not empathize with Bui’s fear about childbirth and inner conflict over whether or not to take anesthesia. She also refuses to promise that she will not give Bui an episiotomy, which further contributes to Bui’s sense of alienation and lack of agency during childbirth.
The Doctor Quotes in The Best We Could Do
The The Best We Could Do quotes below are all either spoken by The Doctor or refer to The Doctor . 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:
).
Chapter 1 Quotes
But if I surrender, I’m afraid I’ll want a full retreat—
to go all the way back. To be the baby and not the mother.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Doctor Character Timeline in The Best We Could Do
The timeline below shows where the character The Doctor appears in The Best We Could Do. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Labor
...she worries that the drugs will make her into “the baby and not the mother.” The doctor rambles on about the medicine and Thi worries about her mother, who is vomiting in...
(full context)
The doctor arrives and insists that Thi Bui decide about the anesthesia—Thi agrees, despite not wanting to....
(full context)
