The head of the lab in which Paul works during his training as a neuroscientist. He is a professor of electrical engineering and neurobiology and a second-generation Indian, like Paul. When he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he is able to work through treatment and returns to the lab just as Paul leaves, providing a model for Paul when he is diagnosed.
V Quotes in When Breath Becomes Air
The When Breath Becomes Air quotes below are all either spoken by V or refer to V. 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:
).
Part 2
Quotes
My life had been building potential, potential that would now go unrealized.
Related Characters:Paul Kalanithi (speaker), Jeevan, V
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
120
Explanation and Analysis:
When Paul is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, his brother Jeevan arrives at the hospital to support him. His brother tries to comfort him by saying that he has already accomplished so much, but Paul is not reassured by this statement. This statement shows Paul’s concern that his life has not held meaning, one of the major explorations of the memoir. Paul understands that he had spent so much of his life up to this point preparing and training for a future career and life after he finished residency. Now, faced with a limited amount of time, Paul must Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta imp
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"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
The timeline below shows where the character V appears in When Breath Becomes Air. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: In Perfect Health I Begin
...is a professor of electrical engineering and neurobiology and a fellow second-generation Indian affectionately called “V.” With V’s permission, Paul sets out to develop technology that could write signals into the...
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Paul meets with V weekly and comes to respect him deeply for his avoidance of the politics and competition...
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V undergoes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. They are successful, and V returns to work a...
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Paul receives a phone call from his friend and co-resident, Victoria. She tells him that Jeff committed suicide the night before. One of his patients died...
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