The Way We Live Now (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Susan Sontag
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: The 1980's
- Setting: Unspecified
- Principal Characters: Max, His friends
- Genres: Social realism, Short fiction
- Subjects: Sex or sexuality, 1980’s, Death or dying, AIDS, Diseases
The Story
The plight of Max, a victim of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is told entirely through the voices of his friends. They observe his first reactions to his illness—denying that he has it and delaying a trip to the doctor for the blood test that will establish his condition definitively. Each friend reacts differently to Max's dilemma. Some sympathize with his state of denial; others worry that he is not seeking medical attention early enough. Aileen thinks of herself, wondering if she herself is at risk. She doubts it, but her friend Frank reminds her...
[The entire page is 1410 words long]
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