Sunday, November 21, 2010

Jean-Dominique Bauby

Who is this Jean-Do? He is the featured character in Julian Schnabel's film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, based upon Bauby's autobiography by the same name. He was the well-known French editor of Elle magazine who suffered a massive stroke at the age of 43 in 1995. Only his mind was left entirely intact by this injury while most of his body suffered paralysis. By using a technique of blinking only one eye as a transcriptionist repeated the alphabet over and over again out loud to him, he detailed his life before and after the injury. Glimpses of his relationships somewhat round out the picture of his character.
Quite a remarkable story, and I believe, even if the film takes liberties as films are wont to do, it does help us envision his unrelenting will to continue his journalistic role despite his physical condition. I have to wonder if it was a voluntary or involuntary compulsion. We have all known people who were meant to be singers or meant to be carpenters because it is such an integral part of them. So, did he have a choice or was there no choice for him?

I think the film also depicted the dignity that Jean-Do retained until his death fifteen months following the injury as he conducts a compare-and-contrast examination of his circumstances. He sees his physical state as being overcome, trapped and "drowned". The butterfly, of course, is his continued free flow of thoughts, still creative, not stifled, the part of him spared from paralysis.

For a more scholarly review of his book, please visit:
http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1245