Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science

Gawande inserts his own experiences, beliefs, and reactions into Complications. Select 3-5 instances in which he does so and discuss the effect of this authorial voice and personal narrative as they combine with the more objective material in the book.

The first section of Complications is titled “Fallibility.” Does Gawande’s discussion of fallibility serve to credit the medical community, undercut it, or both?

Each essay in Complications is structured differently, but they share common elements: real-life scenes, interviews transcribed in dialogue, cited research, theoretical musing, personal reflection, and more. Select one essay and identify its main subject and any arguments it puts forth; then deconstruct the essay, evaluating how Gawande incorporates different parts into an effective whole.

The disclosure of taboo information to destigmatize or demystify a topic is an important literary tradition, especially in nonfiction. What techniques (personal narrative, research, emotional appeal, etc.) does Gawande employ in his efforts to discuss these taboo subjects, and what is the effect of his doing so?

In “The Case of the Red Leg,” Gawande takes the reader through one patient’s nightmarish experience with a rare, often-lethal disease. Analyze the narrative techniques (plot structure, character development, language, and imagery) he uses to translate this real-life experience into effective storytelling.

Gawande is interested in exploring the lives and personalities—rather than just the pathology—of the patients he profiles. Select one of the patients profiled in Complications and analyze the narrative techniques (word choice, imagery, dialogue, exposition, etc.) that bring these characters into stark relief. How do these character representations work in conversation with the larger, deeper message in the given essay?

Gawande resists simple answers to difficult questions (hence, the title Complications). Choose one example of a debate, problem, mystery, or conundrum in medicine as represented in the book and evaluate the arguments and evidence on both sides. Are you personally able to land on a conclusion? If so, what is it? If not, why?

Evaluate the role of uncertainty and its unlikely counterparts—confidence, decisiveness, action—in your own life. In what context do you find uncertainty problematic, and how do you overcome it? In what ways do you embrace uncertainty?