Guilt

The "angels" that visited Dennis to convince him that his destiny was to be a doctor of gastroenterology, were symbolic of the guilt that Dennis' father felt about his own relationship with his father. When he was a young man, his father lay dying. Dennis's grandfather, wanted his son, Dennis's father, to be a physician. Dennis' father promised his father on his deathbed that he would become a doctor. However, English was not his first language and he found it difficult to understand the medical terms. He also was a new father and needed to earn a good living to support his family. He, therefore, felt compelled to leave medical school and thus break his vow to his father.

Dennis' father struggled for the rest of his life with the guilt he felt for not living up to his promise. It was this guilt that led him to...