Was the cruelest of any surprise
And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands
The proof that she couldn't deny
I think this stanza mostly reflects why the song is called skin. This whole stanza is about Sarabeth's biggest fear in going through cancer: losing her hair. This is why I believe the song is called skin, to put emphasis on the fact the only thing she'll have on her head is "skin". All people will see when they look at her is the lack of hair on her head, only bearing skin. This may make her feel abnormal in the view of others and this may be why she fears it so much. This shows in the line "was the cruelest of any surprise" This tells me this is one of the worst things for cancer patients is losing their hair. I think especially for girls it is hard because it shows their beauty and feminism.
I think at this point it became real for her that she has cancer. This is stated in the line, "The proof that she couldn't deny". This proves that until this moment she was still doubting that cancer would affect her or that i was really happening to her. With this moment she couldn't deny what was in front of her eyes.
My girlfriend who lost her hair told me that was the hardest part for her. She was afraid she wouldn't be pretty anymore and that her boyfriend wouldn't love her anymore. There is a lot of emotion that comes with losing your hair from what I have observed from my friend. She told me that it is hard losing your hair because it is the point you realize how rough cancer is on your body and the devastation that come with it.
1 comment:
There is a lot of personal identity, particularly female identity, wrapped up in having hari and what we do with it: how we wear it, what color it is, how we cut it, how it makes us look, and what people assume about us based on those choices. It is so frequently the first thing someone notices or the only thing they can remember. "Who? You mean the blond girl?" etc. Society places a lot of weight on hair ... as infomercials for balding men prove.
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