A Nurse's Story | The Defining Moment in Mary McDonald's Life
Bussey holds a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She is an independent writer specializing in literature. In the following essay, she considers how Peter Baida reveals the nurses’ strike as the defining moment in Mary McDonald’s life in “A Nurse’s Story.”
Peter Baida’s O. Henry award-winning “A Nurse’s Story” is the story of a dying nurse, Mary McDonald. Baida takes the reader on a journey through Mary’s past and present. During her last three days of life, Mary is in a room in a geriatric hospital. She passes the time reflecting on the past, talking to her nurse about starting a union, and preparing herself for the death she knows is imminent. As Baida guides the reader through numerous episodes of Mary’s life, the reader comes to know her—and her community—well. It soon becomes apparent that the defining moment in...
[The entire page is 1698 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Tell a friend about A Nurse's Story at eNotes.
