Previous
Sara Monopoli
Alice Hobson is Kathleen Hobson’s grandmother and Jim Hobson’s mother. Gawande meets Alice when he and Kathleen start dating. Alice lives independently until she is 84 years old, when she starts to fall and become confused. She crashes her car and gets scammed out of $7,000, leading her and Jim to look for retirement homes for her. However, the retirement facility never truly feels like home to her, and she becomes depressed. After a particularly bad fall, she breaks her hip and is forced to move to the nursing home unit. There, she grows even more despondent, as she feels that she has no control over her own life. One day she develops abdominal pain and vomits blood without telling anybody, and the next day she passes away. This illustrates the failure of these kinds of institutions, which prioritize safety at the expense of autonomy and meaning in the residents’ lives.
Alice Hobson Quotes in Being Mortal
The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Alice Hobson or refer to Alice Hobson. 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 5
Quotes
“He agreed, with the indifference of a person who knows he will soon be gone,” Thomas said. But he began to change. “The changes were subtle at first. Mr. L. would position himself in bed so that he could watch the activities of his new charges.” He began to advise the staff who came to care for his birds about what they liked and how they were doing. The birds were drawing him out. For Thomas, it was the perfect demonstration of his theory about what living things provide. In place of boredom, they offer spontaneity. In place of loneliness, they offer companionship. In place of helplessness, they offer a chance to take care of another being. […] Three months later, he moved out and back into his home. Thomas is convinced the program saved his life.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Being Mortal LitChart as a printable PDF.
Alice Hobson Quotes in Being Mortal
The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Alice Hobson or refer to Alice Hobson. 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 5
Quotes
“He agreed, with the indifference of a person who knows he will soon be gone,” Thomas said. But he began to change. “The changes were subtle at first. Mr. L. would position himself in bed so that he could watch the activities of his new charges.” He began to advise the staff who came to care for his birds about what they liked and how they were doing. The birds were drawing him out. For Thomas, it was the perfect demonstration of his theory about what living things provide. In place of boredom, they offer spontaneity. In place of loneliness, they offer companionship. In place of helplessness, they offer a chance to take care of another being. […] Three months later, he moved out and back into his home. Thomas is convinced the program saved his life.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
