Ward Atmospheres of Horror and Healing: A Comparative Analysis of Narrative

Abstract

Aspects of a social setting profoundly influence personal experience in the setting. The purpose of our study was to further understand the phenomenon of ward atmosphere through a detailed case study. One narrator describes and contrasts two ward experiences, one where she lost her mother through death, and the other where she became a mother through birthing. Using classic storytelling forms, she develops a long narrative juxtaposing the two settings: one healing, the other horrifying. Close examination of narrative structure and aesthetics of the illness narrative shows how the narrator forges a discourse about the moral life - how healing should occur. Experiences in the two settings continue to have significance in her subjectivity. The research suggests aspects of ward atmosphere that warrant further investigation.