Resilience and Vulnerability: A Journey of the Self in Lisa Genova’s Still Alice

Abstract

The novel deals with one of the most important social dilemmas of our contemporary society. It tackles the issue of Alzheimer disease which has become very common in our lives worldwide, almost all families have suffered from this illness, whether a close family member or a relative. What makes Lisa Genova’s novel special is that the author is a neuroscience and has studies many cases with Alzheimer, this as many critics assured adds authenticity and credibility to the main character Alice, Genova commented in an interview that she has mirrored the condition of Alzheimer from the inside, where the narrator Alice is an eloquent university professor suffering from Alzheimer. Although the novel is quite emotional and touching it widens the readers perception about the illness and gives an optimistic conclusion that even though Alice lost her memory and eventually identity, she still keeps her humanity, where she is capable of having emotions of love, joy, and compassions. The paper is divided into four parts: first giving an overview about Genova and her career as a researcher and a scientist, then explaining Alice character, after that dealing with the theme of identity, and finally a conclusion sums up the findings of the study.