“…he hadn’t meant to look at that face, ever, and only flight from incipient public woolgathering could have made him do it…”
The face in this quote refers to the old-lady’s (corpse) face. Clearly, Bertie Shields, even though he is working in a hospital and probably he may be a doctor in the future, does not derive any pleasure from looking at dead people’s faces. The words flight and woolgathering accentuate Bertie Shields aversion for dead bodies. Bertie avoids viewing the dead as it upsets him , so , he looks at them when it is inescapable.
“The sound of her voice startled him and seemed immensely inappropriate, like laughter in the graveyard.”
Bertie is agitated when the nurse informs him that they are in the basement. He considers her voice to be unseemly as he has been reflecting about the blue ribbon; so , the voice is destructive. Comparing the laughter to a graveyard means that he did not expect her to speak to him; so the voice catches him off-guard.
“ With relief bordering on nausea he saw the letters on the corrugated opaque glass of the door: MORGUE.”
This quote presents Bertie Shield’s fear of death. The morgue nauseates him as it is symbolic of death. The capitalization of the word MORGUE is a stylistic device that underlines Bertie’s intense dislike for death. Arguably, if he had a choice, he would not have brought the corpse to the morgue. The slight relief that Bertie experiences upon seeing the word ‘MORGUE’ can be attributed to the sexual instinct that is adjacent to the death instinct.
“ They will take care of my breast… I won’t do it”
Gloria is unwavering about having her breast removed even though the doctor insists that going for a medical examination would be a life-saving move for her. Perhaps, Gloria is ignorant that failure to have the lump examined by a doctor and mitigating its malignant threat would save her life, that is why she asserts that she would never allow mastectomy from her body. Gloria dreads losing one breast as it would make her less attractive to men and less feminine.
“Be sensible, now. You can tell under the microscope. Anyway, it’s a small price to pay in exchange for your life.”
This quote is the doctor’s parting shot, and it denotes that the doctor, who is probably done with Gloria and will never see her gain, is considerate about her health. His call for sensibility is pertinent in Gloria’s life as it would motivate her to seek a timely diagnosis before her life's in jeopardy.
