Previous
Ophelia Dahl
A young Haitian boy whose rare facial cancer necessitates his being flown out to Boston for extensive treatments. John’s long, agonizing journey from Haiti to Boston is the dramatic climax of the book, because it encapsulates the challenges—and, at times, the futility—of Paul Farmer’s medical ventures in the Third World. Although John receives the best healthcare possible, he eventually dies of his cancer, meaning that Farmer has spent tens of thousands of dollars on John’s failed treatment. Although his colleagues point to John’s death as proof that Farmer is too generous with his allocation of resources, Farmer insists that there is inherent value in trying to save as many lives as possible, even if the chances of saving a life are very small.
John Quotes in Mountains Beyond Mountains
The Mountains Beyond Mountains quotes below are all either spoken by John or refer to John. 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 25
Quotes
“Well, this boy is a challenge. But I’ve cured sicker kids.” Serena laughed nervously. She said, “Well, now he’s in Man’s Greatest Hospital.” That was what Mass General people called the place, playing on its initials, MGH. Dr. Ezekowitz chuckled. “As soon as we start to believe that, we won’t be.” He turned to the young intern. “Isn’t that right? We can always do better, can’t we.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Can we not have him in a place where people are trained in palliation? Isn’t palliative care important? And a place where his mother can grieve in private instead of an open ward with flies all over her face?”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Mountains LitChart as a printable PDF.
John Quotes in Mountains Beyond Mountains
The Mountains Beyond Mountains quotes below are all either spoken by John or refer to John. 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 25
Quotes
“Well, this boy is a challenge. But I’ve cured sicker kids.” Serena laughed nervously. She said, “Well, now he’s in Man’s Greatest Hospital.” That was what Mass General people called the place, playing on its initials, MGH. Dr. Ezekowitz chuckled. “As soon as we start to believe that, we won’t be.” He turned to the young intern. “Isn’t that right? We can always do better, can’t we.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Can we not have him in a place where people are trained in palliation? Isn’t palliative care important? And a place where his mother can grieve in private instead of an open ward with flies all over her face?”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
