Toward a better death: Applying burkean principles of symbolic action to interpret family adaptation to Karen Ann Quinlan's coma

This article considers the manner that families come to accept the collapse of identity in a family member who has entered a medical crisis with no ho pe of returning from it. The transformation is regarded as a "right of pass age" and is characterized in terms of both the conditions that bring about resistance to the passage as well as the sorts of symbolic activities that ultimately allow the transformation to occur. The theoretical source that i s used to discuss both these issues is Kenneth Burke's (1969) theory of Dra matism, regarded herein as a template that guides both interpersonal action and experience. The primary text used to illustrate these points is the st ory of Karen Ann Quinlan, a young woman who fell into persistent vegetative state in 1975, as told by her parents. A general goal of this article is t o illustrate some of the characteristics of Dramatism as a theory of interp ersonal action, especially after the collapse of routine. More particularly , it is hoped that the analysis will aid health professionals in sense maki ng and interacting with families in crisis.