#6: Story of the Vanishing Patient by Elia
W. Peattie
"Story
of the Vanishing Patient" both surprised and befuddled me. I was not sure
what to make of the befuddling ending. I assume that the doctor was probably
just hallucinating, which explains how the prescription did not move from its
position on the mantle. I believe that Peattie was simply presenting one of
those stories where the reader gets to interpret the ending. Usually, I am not
a big fan of those types of endings. That is what surprised me - I liked it.
The doctor's background is entirely up to your imagination. Maybe he was a
schizophrenic, hearing and seeing things that do not exist. Maybe he was seeing
apparitions. I feel that the clues point towards the latter: the smell of evil,
the ghostly white figure of the woman, the sudden midnight appearance. But, it
is open to interpretation, which means it is all a matter of opinion
I
felt that subtle foreshadowing was at work throughout "Story of the
Vanishing Patient." From the very beginning, you could tell that something
uncanny was going to occur involving the doctors and the house next door.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised that nothing scary or fatal occurred. When the
doctor finally did enter the house, I had the ominous feeling that something
bad would happen. Yes, something eerie happened, but nothing bad. Overall, I
was slightly disappointed.
I
don't really feel I had a favorite character, but if I did it would probably be
the doctor. Despite his wife's pleas, he put his safety at risk for the
betterment of a patient, which I feel is the mark of a good doctor. He was
committed, even though there was really nothing he could do to help.
