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Transcript

One Last Goodbye

Unbeliever's Prayer

Forever a Classic

"Scientists will save us all."

-last scribbled note by Johnny Gunther Jr.

Almighty God

forgive me for agnosticism;

For I shall try to keep it gentle, not cynical,

nor a bad influence.

And O!

if Thou art truly in the heavens,

accept my gratitude

for all Thy gifts

and I shall try

to fight the good fight. Amen.

-John Gunther, Jr.

May, 1946

All of this took place during the time of WWII, and yet the war is not mentioned once. Instead, John Gunther focused on the internal battles that the illness put upon his poor son. For this reason, the book is mainly about the big questions of life and death, which is a timeless topic. People always have and always will question the meaning of life and what happens after we take our final breath.

Rating

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed the feeling it gave me while reading it. Death Be Not Proud made me realize that life is precious, and sometimes it can be cut short by a sickness or disaster.

Archetypes

A major archetype of Johnny is his innocence and naivety. He loves life unconditionally and almost completely ignores the fact that he has a deadly tumor. He holds onto the hope that he can continue to live and learn about the world. He has a childlike innocence and the mind of a genius that makes the reader sympathize for him.

Plot

Johnny Gunther Jr. struggles with a fifteen-month-long illness at the age of 16 and 17. His journey is a roller coaster of ups and downs: one day he is recovering and "The Bump" is gone, and the next he is being rushed to the hospital for another emergency brain surgery. He lives the life of a typical teenage boy, but also has the privilege to do extraordinary things, such as travel to different countries and write back and forth to Albert Einstein. His prodigious intelligence makes him well-known to many, while his unfaltering kindness and good sense of humor make him impossible not to love. When he dies on June 30 of 1947, he leaves a mark on those who did and didn't know him. His journal entries and letters show us more of his charming character.

Major Universal Theme

Good versus bad- Johnny, a virtuous, honest young boy, must fight against the constant presence of death. As death tears at the innocent boy's life, Johnny fights back with all his might, in hopes of living a full life. Unlike your typical fairy tale, this is a story about how gruesome reality can be. The conflict carries on throughout the story until, at last, the evil sickness wins.

John Gunther

Death Be Not Proud

Symbols/Themes

  • American journalist
  • Born in 1901 in Chicago, IL
  • Died in 1970 at the age of 68 in New York City, NY
  • Wrote many books in his lifetime, including the "Inside series" of continental surveys, such as Inside Europe, Inside Asia, Inside U.S.A., and many more
  • He traveled the world
  • Married to Frances Fineman in London, 1927
  • Johnny Gunther, Jr. was born in 1929
  • Divorced in 1944
  • "The Bump", as Johnny calls it, is a symbol of his health. Even when Johnny seems to gradually grow better, the monstrous lump returns every time, just to remind him of the fact that his battle is not over.
  • The courage Johnny exhibits is incredibly admirable. He endures unbearable pain, numerous surgeries, and endless treatments, yet he keeps a smile on his face and a light-hearted attitude. He even proceeds to complete his schoolwork from home and attends his high school graduation, where he receives his diploma, only months before his death.

Antagonist

Setting

The conflict in the story is Man vs. Nature. In his teenage years, Johnny is diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor. His father is told that the prefix "glio" means the tumor is fatal. Even though Johnny, his parents, and many doctors battle the deadly growth, the tumor wins in the end.

Genre

Protagonist

  • New York
  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • Mostly 1940’s, the main years being 1945-1947
  • Nonfiction
  • Illness narrative memoir

Johnny Gunther is the protagonist. Throughout the novel, he is faced with fighting a deadly, malicious tumor that is eating away at his brain. Despite the hardships he's faced (loss in eyesight and dexterity in his left hand), Johnny keeps a positive outlook. He fights a tortuous battle until the very end, but insists on living his life to the fullest.

By Madison Brooker

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