Fear and Pity Aroused by Contagious Diseases as Portrayed in "The Moon and Sixpence" and "Sanatorium"

Abstract

Fear and pity aroused by contagious diseases reveal human nature. This paper approaches fear and pity caused by leprosy and tuberculosis portrayed in ”The Moon and Sixpence” and ”Sanatorium” with the theories of Maslow and Kubler-Ross to examine different relationships- patient-doctor, patient-relative, and patient-community. Feeling afraid can be useful as a defensive mechanism for survival, but it evokes the animality of human beings in the face of death. Fear deprives man of his bright side of human nature. However, pity and love help maintain the elements of man as man, aiding people to overcome the fear of death. Fear drives human beings to the lower level of animals but pity and love by spreading the effulgence of humanity make man angel-like.