Analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman - Book Report/Review Example

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman Reflective Paper 2/2 In her book "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,"Anna Fadiman brings out a reflection of the problems that communities may be facing when adjusting to a variety of different cultures. Fadiman makes the point that this adjustment could lead to major damage but most likely the cultures would be willing to stand their ground. Fadiman discusses the life of a young girl, Lia, who falls ill in the United States. The title of the book is termed as "Quab dab peg" in the Hmong community. A literal translation is "the spirit catches you and you die" (Cobb, 83). In this case, the Hmong believed that Lia’s problem was the result of the loss of her soul. This happened after her sister slammed the door on her. The Hmong believe that slamming a door scares the spirit out of the body. Being from a Hmong community, Lia’s parents are determined to embrace the ideals of their culture regardless of the fact that their daughter faces death if they do so. Different cultures tend to embrace other cultures in a different way. The Hmong community could be considered as a community that is not interested in sharing its culture or embracing new cultures. This people group view itself as forced immigrants in the United States. They therefore find ways to keep their culture intact; this also includes ignoring technology embraced by the United States. Despite the fact that Hmong communities that migrate to the United States are encouraged to mingle and adapt to the customs and cultural traditions of the country, the Hmong community holds a different perspective. As a matter of fact, the group holds a very different idea of acculturation. Primarily, the Hmong believe in maintaining their culture and looking up to their families. Although Foua and Nao use American-made appliances, they are still bound to Hmong culture; they only speak the Hmong language and participate in activities that define Hmong culture (Fadiman 82). The purpose of American assimilation is to expect all immigrants to ignore their cultural differences and embrace a shared nationality. However, the Hmong people view this in a different way; they would never embrace this culture so they stick to their families. Lia’s story could be considered as a matter of ignorance and a lack of understanding. After living in the United States for quite some time, her parents never bothered to learn to speak any English. However, a hospital should at least have a translator to help patients who cannot speak the common language. If the hospital employed such an individual, then at least they can be useful in times like that of Lia’s situation. At the time when Lia was taken to the hospital, doctors could not even develop a medical history of the patient due to language barriers. Language barriers can negatively affect access to healthcare and the quality of care on offer (Shippee et al., 1073). The afflicted individuals, and even their parents, should try and learn at least a few words to enable them explain their problems even in the vaguest situation. Since there was no understanding between doctor and patient, there was no way that the doctors could help Lia. Due to communication barriers, doctors failed to notice that Lia had suffered a series of bronchial issues that led to seizures (Fadiman 26). Lia went months without treatment, hence worsening the situation. Besides language differences, offering healthcare for the Hmong people also faces different religious and cultural beliefs and social organization (Cobb, 79). 3 Lia’s parents and her doctors watched her waste away and they could not help her in any way. Doctors said that her condition had worsened because she had only been taken to the hospital months after she fell sick. The main conflict here is the fact that Lia’s parents do not have knowledge of western treatment methods. Therefore, they prefer that their daughter be treated in a way that they understand. The fact remains that American doctors have no knowledge of Hmong treatment methods. Both parties want the best for the child, but there is no way to be able to help the child. This shows the conflict that is brought about by multiculturalism. Different people look at issues at different levels. At the end they might come to an understanding or experience further conflict. One should notice that doctors are specialized in certain areas and traditional healing might not be their field of expertise. One could have wondered why the parents never became violent during the whole situation. As a matter of fact, Hmong people are polite by nature and do not believe in violence. They therefore chose to listen to the doctors rather than get physical. As much as Fadiman brings out the Hmong community as one of different ethics, they could be considered a humble community. The Hmong would rather keep to themselves than try to keep up with other people. Looking at the history of Hmong, the fact that they were forced out of their own country and sent to another country, Thailand, and later transported to the United States goes some way to explaining their behavior. The Hmong might not see the need for assimilation because of the abrupt movements that they experienced before reaching the United States (Fadiman 163). This is partly because of the wars they have been through. Still, accepting other cultures proves to be difficult for the Hmong community. However, in her book Fadiman blames American doctors and shows them to be insensitive and ignorant to the ways of the Hmong people. The fact remains that the doctors are residents of the United States and most residents are expected to assimilate to the American way. It is the responsibility of the Hmong people to learn of the ways of the people who live among them. It is unrealistic to expect the American people to bend their way of life so that the Hmong people can fit in. Many of the doctors at Merced and Valley Children’s hospital are a product of westernized education. They might not know the ways of the Hmong culture or any other minority community for that matter. It is easier and more convenient for minority communities to learn and adjust to the majority culture. What the two sides never realized was the fact that they held different beliefs and perspectives. In order to come to a solution, there would to be openness on both sides. No one realizes that what they term as reality might not make sense to a person of another culture. In this instance, they could both be termed as prejudiced people. The doctors thought that their medical view would be the only legitimate solution for this situation. 5 However, the doctors never considered the fact that the Hmong community holds a different perspective on medical treatment, such as protesting blood tests and surgery. The doctors failed to relate to the taboos and culture of the Hmong people. It is important that healthcare professionals understand the cultural aspects of ethnic groups in regards to healthcare so they can show empathy and compassion towards the patient (Gerdner et al., 28). In some instances, people nod their heads in agreement to something but end up doing something different. Agreeing with the family might have put them at ease. Instead, one of the doctors even suggested that putting a bullet in the head of a Hmong would be the easiest way to deal with them. Although doctors thought that Lia suffered from epilepsy, her parents looked at it as a way of losing her soul (Fadiman 28). They believed this because someone slammed the door after Lia. The Hmong people maintain a belief that this act forces makes a person’s soul to leave their body. While doctors thought that she needed treatment, her family thought she needed spiritual intervention. Since her family had heard that hospitals make people better, they believed that there would be some kind of treatment for loss of the soul. This shows how much the Hmong people cling to their culture and completely ignore acculturation. As a matter of fact, the biological pathology never harmed Lia. The biggest undoing of her parents and the doctors at the hospital proved to be the main cause of her death. Due to ignorance of both people of her own tribe and the doctors, she ended up suffering while they argued over how to treat her. Lia had been misdiagnosed previously. One of the doctors noticed this and blamed her worsened situation on this misdiagnosis. If she had been diagnosed properly earlier, she would have likely survived the tragedy. This brings us back to the question of who diagnosed her. Even after the diagnosis, her condition never improved. This is because her parents could not understand the medication prescribed by the doctors. The author says that even a family with comprehension of English would have problems with the medical terminologies used (Fadiman, 45). Looking at the fact that the family knew little or no English, it would have been the duty of the doctors to interpret medical terminologies. This could have been one of the reasons as to why the family rejected western medication. This whole experience proved to be complicated and confusing for the humble family. One would also be keen to notice that it would have been almost impossible for the parents to administer the drugs as prescribed. When medication is not administered correctly, it can in fact be harmful to the patient. This could be considered negligence on the side of the medical team, especially due to the fact that they were aware of the language barriers faced by Lia’s parents. Before a doctor can become certified, the medical board ensures that doctors take an oath that is based on the care of a patient. Such issues like Lia’s treatment should be considered by the medical board in the sense that the doctors never considered her care. Dr. Neil Ernest went forward and reported the family to Child Protective Services (Fadiman, 57). With the charges being child abuse due to medical negligence, it would be agreeable to mention that the doctors also played a role in this. The doctors were frustrated by the failure of the parents to administer the medication. However, as he saw that the parents did not understood basic instructions or labels on the medications, he should have stepped forward and offered a solution. Because of his insight, he would have been in a better position to mediate the situation. After reading this book, a doctor’s medical view could totally change. The change would be for the best in a way because he would be expected to look at situations from many different levels. This would involve following up the patient and making sure they understand the prescriptions made. Lia’s problem could have been managed somehow despite the fact that she arrived at the hospital later than expected. Also, taking the situation in the book into account, the American medical sector could make significant changes. This can be possible at some hospitals, while at others it may prove to be a disaster. Some hospitals hire nurses from all over the world; this makes it easier for people with different dialects. The fact that the United States allows international students from all over the world, this can be of help to patients of other cultures. Fadiman really tries to bring out a very good point about acculturation. Cultural differences prove to be a great problem all over the world. Some people tend to make it work for the best while others prove to be stubborn. In this case, one might not blame Lia’s family because this happens regularly among Hmong families. They tend to cling to their traditions and thus ignore even the most reasonable part of diversity, which is a common language. 8 People need to understand each other’s cultural backgrounds, especially for educated people such as like Lia’s doctors. Doctors may not deal with patients like Lia on a daily basis, but they do need to act responsibly when there is need. Ignorance is the cause of most problems in our communities, and this affects the Hmong people also. When one goes to a new place, he must goes along with the rules. There would be no way that residents of a place would change to Hmong beliefs in order to accommodate them. At the end of the day, diversity seems to be the only solution. Because of this, there is a need to educate people on the significance of this factor. References Cobb, T. G. (2010). Strategies for Providing Cultural Competent Health Care for Hmong Americans. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 17(3), 79-83. Fadiman, A. (1997). The spirit catches you and you fall down. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Fadiman, A. (1998). The spirit catches you and you fall down: A Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. New York: Noonday Press. Gerdner, L. A., Dia, C., Deu, Y., & Tripp-Reimer, T. (2007). The Circle of Life: End-of-Life Care and Death Rituals for Hmong-American Elders. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, May, 20-29. Shippee, N. D., Kemmick Pintor, J., McAlpine, D. D., & Beebe, T. J. (2012). Need, Availability, and Quality of Interpreter Services among Publicly Insured Latino, Hmong, and Somali Individuals in Minnesota. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Undeserved, 23, 1073-1081. Read More