Plurality of Space and Time in Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air.

Narratives in medical humanities contribute to an ethical reformation of the medicine field. The experiences of patients and doctors make the reader aware of the pain and difficulties they go through. Since any narrative is placed in space and time with the diagnosis of a disease, it veers off making the reader realise the shift in outer and inner space of the doctor/patient. This paper will first discuss the experiences of a doctor-turned patient - Paul Kalanithi as given in his memoir, When Breath Becomes Air by showing how the changes taking place inside his body--innermost space--is affecting his personal space, outer space, and the absolute space. It will then move on to argue the presence of multilayered space and time in the text and its effect on Paul. The paper will conclude by showing that the only thing that remains constant through these changes is his daughter and the memoir that he is writing. Both these entities are the constants that he leaves behind as his legacy in this ephemeral life while striking concessions with the limited time and space he is left with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]