For centuries, metaphors in medical contexts were common tools thought to be a liaison between the complex dialect of doctors and their patients. Physicians utilized metaphors to reassure their patients, leaving them with the comfort they needed to endure their illnesses. However, some argue that these metaphors can potentially be harmful to patients, disorienting a patient’s understanding of their disease, and making them less susceptible to achieving good health. Susan Sontag reveals in her novel Illness as a Metaphor, the danger of using this language by explaining that certain metaphors might cause patients to blame themselves for their diagnoses, ultimately increasing their suffering. For instance, Sontag makes a connection between people who are diagnosed with cancer and being corrupted with filth and dirt. Furthermore, in James Baldwin’s Go Tell it on the Mountain, Baldwin reiterates the extreme consequences of dirt-related metaphors specifically, when he links the dust in John’s cupboards to the biblical phrase, “He who is filthy, let him be filthy still”. While metaphors can be helpful in breaking down advanced dialogue, their double meanings prompt can confuse individuals of their circumstances. Sontag illustrates this when receiving a chronic diagnosis and Baldwin when adhering to a difficult family life, revealing that certain connections should be implemented with caution since they can lead to misleading perceptions. 

In Susan Sontag’s Illness as a Metaphor, Sontag compares a cancer diagnosis to being invaded by filthy agents. Sontag describes cancer to be popularly regarded as a disease of malignancy, contamination, and pollution of the body’s internal environment (Sontag 13-20). This description adds a negative connotation to being diagnosed with a chronic illness that one cannot control. This pessimistic comparison makes cancer patients feel disgusted about themselves, despite their disability in preventing this disease. However, it’s a common way many physicians provide their patients with an explanation when attempting to describe their cancer diagnosis, as stating that they’ve been invaded with a type of filth seems to make sense.  However, this specific terminology makes patients repulsed with their disease and could even make them less determined to heal, evidently revealing that these metaphors accomplish nothing but create insecurity for the patient. Sontag continues her argument by reinstating this idea of cancer contaminating the human body. She claims that cancer begins as a quiet disease that gradually captures the body, mind, and soul—corrupting the body’s tissues and sending an individual into a downward spiral of chaos (Sontag 13-20). Sontag’s explanation of cancer corrupting human tissue, the mind, and the soul emphasizes the inappropriate use of metaphors regarding contamination. They misinform the patient, leading them into a whirlwind of confusion, accusations, and despair. Sontag illuminates the necessity of ensuring that we rid our vocabulary of these perplexing dirt-related metaphors, as they convince the patient that they’re undeserving of achieving good health. 

James Baldwin furthers the claim that metaphors regarding filth force individuals to overthink their situation when he connects John’s dirty kitchen to a biblical phrase regarding filth in oneself. Baldwin claims, “Dirt was in every corner, angle, crevice, of the monstrous stove, and lived behind it in delirious communion with the corrupted wall. … John thought with shame and horror, yet in angry hardness of heart: He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. …and the phrase turned against him like a two-edged sword, for was it not he, in his false pride and his evil imagination, who was filthy?” (Baldwin 22-23). John’s comparison of the filth around his house to a biblical phrase that he believes embodies him represents the disturbed perception filth metaphors can inflict. John is struggling internally concerning his faith and sexuality, which forces him to relate the dirt in his home to a sense of uncleanliness inwards. This is undoubtedly dangerous as John is now connecting these ideologies of being dirty with his religion, something that holds great importance to him. Metaphors regarding dirt do not have positive affiliations and harm the mental well-being of many individuals. 

Throughout both pieces of literature, a common theme lies within the lines of dirt-related metaphors; they do not support the well-being of individuals. In Sontag’s case, comparing cancer to an invasion of dirt and filth doesn’t motivate the patient to strive for good health. It creates a pessimistic outlook on the entire situation, making the patient question their self-worth and wonder if they should even attempt to heal. In Baldwin’s depiction, John’s connection of his dirty home to a biblical phrase regarding internal corruption reveals the overwhelming struggle John faces with guilt, shame, and sin. Baldwin’s description highlights John’s anxiety and confusion and forces him to question his self-esteem. These dirt-related metaphors ultimately contribute to the suffering of individuals, as expressed in a medical and psychological context. It’s crucial that as a society, we carefully select our words to ensure that we are doing more help than harm.

Works Cited

Baldwin, James. Go Tell it on the Mountain. Penguin Books, 1991.

Sontag, Susan. Illness as Metaphor. Farrar, 1978.