The Way We Live Now by Susan Sontag
"The Way We Live Now" by Susan Sontag presents a poignant exploration of the emotional and social dynamics surrounding a man named Max, who is grappling with an AIDS diagnosis. The narrative unfolds through the voices of Max's friends, each offering unique perspectives on his illness and reflecting their own fears and concerns about the disease. As Max initially denies his condition and delays seeking medical attention, his friends navigate a range of reactions—from sympathy for his denial to anxiety over his health and their own vulnerability.
Amid his hospitalization, their visits become a mix of comfort and uncertainty, as they question how their presence affects Max and whether they are providing the support he truly needs. The story captures the complexities of friendship in the face of a devastating illness, highlighting themes of fear, guilt, and the struggle for human connection. Throughout, Sontag delves into the emotional weight of illness, the impact of societal stigma, and the intimate yet strained relationships that emerge in times of crisis. Ultimately, the narrative leaves readers reflecting on the resilience of life and the bonds that hold us together in the face of adversity.
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The Way We Live Now by Susan Sontag
First published: 1986
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of work: The 1980's
Locale: Unspecified
Principal Characters:
Max , a man with AIDSHis friends
The Story
The plight of Max, a victim of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is told entirely through the voices of his friends. They observe his first reactions to his illness—denying that he has it and delaying a trip to the doctor for the blood test that will establish his condition definitively. Each friend reacts differently to Max's dilemma. Some sympathize with his state of denial; others worry that he is not seeking medical attention early enough. Aileen thinks of herself, wondering if she herself is at risk. She doubts it, but her friend Frank reminds her that AIDS is a totally unprecedented illness; no one can be sure they are not vulnerable. Stephen hopes that Max realizes he has options; he should not consider himself totally helpless at the onset of the disease.
When Max is hospitalized, Ursula says that Max has received the AIDS diagnosis almost with relief after his months of anxiety. Friends wonder how to treat him. They decide to indulge him with the things he likes, such as chocolate. They visit him frequently, and his mood seems to lighten.
Does Max really want to see so many people? Are they doing the right thing by visiting him so frequently? Aileen asks. Ursula is sure they are; she is certain that Max values the company and is not judging people's motives. Friends such as Stephen question Max's doctor, trying to assess the gravity of each stage of Max's illness. The doctor is willing to treat Max with experimental drugs, but she tells Stephen that the chocolate might bolster Max's spirit and do as much good as anything else. Stephen, who has followed all the recent efforts to treat the disease, is disconcerted by this old-fashioned advice.
Kate shudders when she realizes that Max's friends have started talking about him in the past tense, as if he has already died. Several friends suspect that their visits are palling on him, while other friends argue that he has come to expect their daily presence. There is a brief respite from anxiety as Max's friends welcome him home from the hospital and observe that he is putting on weight. Xavier thinks they should stop worrying about how their visits affect Max; they are getting as much out of trying to help him as he is. They realize that they are dreading the possibility that they might also get the disease, that it is just a matter of time before they or their friends succumb to it. Betsy says that these days everybody is worried about everybody, that just seems to be the way people live now.
Max's friends think about how he has managed his life. He practiced unsafe sex, saying it was so important to him that he would risk getting the disease. Betsy thinks he must feel foolish now, like someone who kept on smoking cigarettes until he contracted a fatal disease. When it happens to you, Betty believes, you no longer feel so fatalistic; you feel instead that you have been reckless with your life. Lewis angrily rejects her thinking, pointing out that AIDS infected people long before they knew they needed to take precautions. Max might have been more prudent and still have caught AIDS. Unlike cigarettes, all that is needed is one exposure to the disease.
Friends report the various phases of Max's reaction to the disease. He is afraid to sleep because it is too much like dying. Some days he feels so good that he thinks he can beat the disease. Other days he thinks that the disease has given him a remarkable experience. He likes all the attention he is getting. It gives him a sort of distinction and a following. Some friends find his temperament softened and sweetened; others reject this attitudinizing about Max as sentimental. Each friend clings stubbornly to a vision of Max, the story ending with Stephen's insistent statement, "He's still alive."
Bibliography
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