Postmodernism in Doctor’s Prescription

Postmodernism in Doctor's Prescription

"The Fall of the Legislator" by Zygmunt Bauman, from the book, Postmodernism, edited by Thomas Docherty.

In the modern era, the intellectual elite emphasized the values of rationalism, progress, and objectivity and viewed themselves as the vanguard of a new, self-confident society. In the postmodern era, this view was rejected and the emphasis was placed on a more realistic view of society characterized by uncertainty and a lack of self-confidence.

The elite saw themselves as influential leaders of a "Kingdom of Reason" and as the fixed point in history from which others were measured and found wanting, i.e., the non-Western world. The values represented by this Euro-centric view were imposed on those who they considered inferior. This worldview persisted for a period of centuries due to the overwhelming power of those who supported it. In this view, freedom is sacrificed for security.

Postmodernism, by comparison, is an emphatic rejection of modernism and the influence of the intellectual elite class. In the postmodern period, this rejection is reflected in the resistance and struggle by those considered as inferior, i.e., outside the Euro-centric sphere of influence, to the imposition of a foreign set of values. Postmodern philosophy advocates multiplicity and a difference of views versus a totality of views and regimentation. "Truth" is seen not from a fixed, centrist point of view but as socially and historically constructed.

In Doctor's Prescription, by Luis Arturo Ramos, the Doctor represents modernism's confidence in reason and order, which is disrupted by the arrival of Valentin, a very sick patient. Valentin is pitted against the power of the medical establishment as represented by the Doctor, not only because they control his life and death, but because he is from a lower socio-economic class and in a weaker position of power.

Valentin's ugly facial scar fascinates and disturbs the Doctor because as the story relates the incident that brought it about, the Doctor gradually realizes that he may have been responsible for causing it. As students from rival schools representing very different social classes, Valentin and his peers clashed violently with the Doctor's