Response #2

sig·nif·i·cant
–adjective
Signifying something; carrying meaning; Having a covert or hidden meaning; Having a noticeable or major effect; notable;

Finding "significant" points to comment on for my novel has proven to be a most challenging task.

For my second significant point I chose Dr. Sri's interactions with Winston. I'm not exactly sure why I chose it either, possibly because part of being significant is "having a noticeable or major effect" and this chapter had the largest effect on me.

Winston is a psychologically troubled man dealing with the intense emotions of being in love. He sees things as they aren't, he neglects treatment and eventually he ends up hurting himself. Winston also demonstrated the strength of Dr. Sri's character as well as gave us a glimpse into his life.

When Dr. Miniadis (the supervisor) says,
"Tell me, Dr. Sri, if you woke up one day and saw a purple bird in your room, what would
you think?" (p.152)
and Dr. Sri acknowledges that this notion is crazy because there are no purple birds native to Toronto yet as he treats Winston he believes that - just for a moment - he had caught a glimpse of a purple bird flying past a window... this moment really stuck with me throughout the book.

It reminded me that the Dr. himself isn't inbincible and that doctors are truly the same as the people they treat. It reflected Sri's character and his open mind. It sparked questions within my mind: why did he see the bird? will this be concluded later? what is the significance of Winston's madness? is what he saw real?
However, with Vincent Lam's writing style none of my questions were ever answered and I am sitting here typing this and still wondering.

Winston was another character that really stood out to me. In his insane ramblings he asked questions that made you think and sometimes made you laugh.
"Naturally, it concerns me, as it would concern anyone, that someone watched my
urination" (p.135)
It is that kind of question that not only makes you re-examine past memories and points out certain things that could be true, but at the same time it adds some comic relief to the story.

Winston's unique situation also stuck with me for the duration of the novel, just as the purple bird did. I wish Vincent Lam had provided me with some closure on both of the issues.

Response #1

Because Vincent Lam broke Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures into twelve chapters - each with it's own characters and purpose, it was difficult to narrow it down to four significant points - or even find one for that matter.

As Dr. Fitzgerald seems to be the most important character throughout this book, and his relationship with Ming is one of the few things that is mentioned throughout the book, I considered Dr. Ming and Dr. Fitz' break-up to be fairly significant.

When the two of them break up we lose focus of the theme of the book. We are reminded that they are both people and not just doctors. It is also through this that we see character information emerge. The one gentle Ming has a sour attitude towards Fitz and ends up doing everything in her power to block him out of her life. She won't answer his calls, open his letters and eventually she changes her phone number.

Fitz on the other hand is literally crazy in love with Ming. He continually calls despite getting no answer. He writes to her non-stop, even when he gets no reply. When he is in Toronto for his university interview even after being ignored for so long he still shows up at her apartment and upon discovering she is not home, he breaks in to wait for her.

This part in the novel is also one of many conflicts. At this point, as the reader, you have only really been introduced to these two characters and the story has only been narrated through their perspective. This makes this conflict very important as it triggers the split in narrative and pulls focus to two different lives as opposed to two entwined ones. Once the character of Chen is introduced through conversation between Ming and Fitz, he gets to narrate the next chapter - sending the book in a whole new direction and pushing focus from the love of two doctors to the independent stories of other doctors and patients.

Preliminary Brainstorming

Events that may be significant later on:

• Fitz' ride with Karl in the elevator.
• Fitz' growing alcoholism
• Ming and Chen's relationship (and future marriage)