Chapter 12 Summary

In Chapter 12, "The Lessons Learned," we are provided with a synopsis of hope, futility, philosophy, and learning. Dr. Nuland explains the lessons he has learned from his grandmother's bedside through the halls of medicine. Using literary support, he shares the words of Tolstoy and his understanding of the loneliness when truth is withheld. It was his desire to share the many avenues of death and dying. He conversed in a manner he hoped would encourage the reader to have reasonable expectations of themselves and their physicians. He calls upon the family doctor to help every person make the choices befitting the individual situation.

Chapter 12 Analysis

In "The Lessons Learned," the message is that the hope a person has will demonstrate the individual's level of self-awareness. Whether a cure is hoped for, an objective reached, or a good deed done, hope will be what...