Mairs's Maze

In her essay "Disability," Nancy Mairs constructs a maze from preconceived notions all the way to her thesis. Each concept she presents acts as a fork which must be interpreted the right way otherwise it will lead to a dead end that forces some backtracking to get back to the true point of her essay. Mairs opens with a description of herself as "crippled with multiple sclerosis" and "easy to spot in even in a crowd" because of her "peculiar gait." This description can be said to appeal for sympathy. However, Mairs is really trying to establish her ethos to discuss disability in general. This is apparent in her use of the blunt word "peculiar" with its negative connotations to describe herself. Also, Mairs’s criticism of the medical drama must be seen to derive from the character of “Ms. MS” rather than her actions. The real issue she has is that there is no depiction of the able side of the woman with MS even though it is there. Mairs reveals it is there with her catalogue of her activities as “Ms. Great American Consumer” because she “drive[s] a car,” “eat[s] pizza,” and “menstruate[s]” which hints at the true criticism through an association of basic, ordinary activities and disability. By following the correct interpretations, Mairs’s thesis can be realized. The media’s lack of reality regarding disability imperils the temporarily able bodied as well as alienates the disabled.