Narrative Techniques In Margaret Edson's Wit

Margaret Edson’s Wit gives perhaps one of the most alienating protagonists for a story about cancer. Vivian Bearing is dense, overbearing, selfish and arrogant and none of these attributes were hidden from the audience. These attributes are also not debatable in the sense that different readers would interpret them in different ways. Edson makes it clear that Vivian is not the warm and cuddly type. This could prove to be very unappealing to the audience, but yet Edson doesn't hold back on building Vivian's character to be more difficult for the audience to receive. I think by going about the main character in this way, Edson poses the question of whether or not an audience can empathize with someone that is unable to do so herself. Edson pushes the audience to recognize that Vivian shouldn't be any less deserving of understanding because she is not the typical saint-like cancer patient.
Edson doesn't waste time with introducing the audience to Vivian in a one on one manner by basically destroying the forth wall. This technique serves not only the audience’s connection to the play but also to Vivian. The audience cannot distance themselves from Vivian to get away from her off-putting demeanor; they are forced to act as a silent character in her life. Edson gives the audience a sense of how Vivian interacts with

It's not until further on in her monologue where she quotes from Shakespeare's Pericles that we see her condescending tendencies come to light. She goes on to say, “Shakespeare. I trust the name is familiar” (6). She not only assumes the inferiority of the audience which is bad enough on its own; she also doesn't acknowledge the fact of the matter which indicates that she sees no fault in her behavior. That being said, we are able to move forward with the play –if not accepting her character– looking past it perhaps due to the wit and humor she