Inequality
Ruth witnesses omnipresent inequality all through her childhood. Ruth recalls “I had not been into any Manhattan homes except for the Hallowells’, so I didn’t know how extraordinary it was for one family to live, alone, in this huge building. But I remember thinking it made no sense that Rachel and I had to put our snowsuits and boots into the tiny, cramped closet in the kitchen, when there were plenty of empty hooks and open spaces in the main entry, where Christina’s and Ms. Mina’s coats were hanging. Mama tucked away her coat, too, and her lucky scarf—the soft one that smelled like her.”
The Hallowells’ gigantic castle is emblematic of their wealth; comparatively, Ruth’s family resides in a small house which is representational of their deficiency. Houses are signs of social status. Had Ruth been familiarized to mansions, she would not have been flabbergasted by the enormousness of the Hallowells’ house. Besides, the requirement for Ruth and her sister to place their ‘ snowsuits and boots into the tiny, cramped closet’ is typical of the pervasive inequality between her family and the Hallowells. Ruth and family are regarded as low-grade servants who should not use the same hooks as their superior employers.
Nursing
Ruth elucidates the central facets of the nursing occupation: “I’ve always thought that if I wasn’t an L & D nurse, I’d make a great fake psychic. We are skilled at reading our patients so that we know what they need moments before they realize it. And we are also gifted when it comes to sensing strange vibes.” Nursing necessitates commitment and the ability to perfectly use one’s instinct. Besides, the nurses are responsible for taking care of patients by assessing all the symptoms that could indicate illnesses. Ruth explicates, “But right now, my attention is on Davis. I look for facial bruising, hematoma, or abnormal shaping of the skull. I check the palmar creases in his tiny hands, and the set of his ears relative to his eyes. I measure the circumference of his head and the length of his squirming body. I check for clefts in the mouth and the ears. I palpate the clavicles and put my pinkie in his mouth to check his sucking reflex.”
All the processes that Ruth employs in the case of Davis validates the materiality of nurses in healthcare. The nurses’ accountabilities are complementary to the doctors’ assessments. Accordingly, it would be prejudicial to undervalue nurses when it is them who do the vital work of warranting a patients’ welfare.
