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ijsselmeer13 's review for:
The Cancer Journals
by Audre Lorde
“I do not wish my anger and pain and fear about cancer to fossilize into yet another silence”
In The Cancer Journals, Audre Lorde weaves journal entries and reflections into a powerful memoir-essay about breast cancer and how U.S. society shapes our perception of mastectomy. In 2020, one of my close family members had to get a double mastectomy because of breast cancer. Thankfully, she is cancer-free now, but I’ve found that Lorde’s thoughtful writing helps me process my memories of what her experience with cancer over 2 years ago was like.
Lorde’s critique of prosthesis post-mastectomy was particularly striking. At first, I was wary of this, since my family member herself wears prosthetic breasts now after her surgery. Soon on, however, I understood that the problem is the system that shapes us to believe that mastectomy is something of cosmetic concern, rather than a surgery that can ensure a person’s survival. Ultimately, the explicit encouragement by medical systems for women to wear prosthetics or plan for breast reconstruction after mastectomy reflects a societal view of women as sexualized beings. Are women encouraged to wear prosthetics so that people aren’t uncomfortable with seeing a flat-chested woman? As Lorde explains, she will always be aware that her right breast is a prosthetic, rather than the real thing.
Ultimately, The Cancer Journals is a call for women who have had breast cancer and mastectomies to not let their experiences be made invisible. It is only through the formation of community and support systems that the unfair expectations placed upon women’s bodies can be challenged.
In The Cancer Journals, Audre Lorde weaves journal entries and reflections into a powerful memoir-essay about breast cancer and how U.S. society shapes our perception of mastectomy. In 2020, one of my close family members had to get a double mastectomy because of breast cancer. Thankfully, she is cancer-free now, but I’ve found that Lorde’s thoughtful writing helps me process my memories of what her experience with cancer over 2 years ago was like.
Lorde’s critique of prosthesis post-mastectomy was particularly striking. At first, I was wary of this, since my family member herself wears prosthetic breasts now after her surgery. Soon on, however, I understood that the problem is the system that shapes us to believe that mastectomy is something of cosmetic concern, rather than a surgery that can ensure a person’s survival. Ultimately, the explicit encouragement by medical systems for women to wear prosthetics or plan for breast reconstruction after mastectomy reflects a societal view of women as sexualized beings. Are women encouraged to wear prosthetics so that people aren’t uncomfortable with seeing a flat-chested woman? As Lorde explains, she will always be aware that her right breast is a prosthetic, rather than the real thing.
Ultimately, The Cancer Journals is a call for women who have had breast cancer and mastectomies to not let their experiences be made invisible. It is only through the formation of community and support systems that the unfair expectations placed upon women’s bodies can be challenged.