Whether you've read the book, seen the movie, saw a trailer, or all three, I'm sure you have at some point heard of the book or movie "Me Before You." The 2016 release stars Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke in the adaptation from JoJo Moyes' phenomenal novel. I want to start off by saying that, from the moment I picked up the book, I knew it wasn't a love story or a book about the hardships of a man's struggle with quadriplegia. But rather, I knew the story would attempt to commit itself to the difficult conversation of assisted suicide.
For those of you who have been living under a rock or just haven't seen the movie yet - and be warned, spoilers to come - the plot of "Me Before You"is as follows: a woman (Louisa Clarke) loses her job. She is then employed by a wealthy family to help care for a quadriplegic man (Will Traynor). Her contract is for six months. Eventually, she finds out that the man plans to commit assisted suicide and she is employed by his parents to attempt to change his mind. Though, she tries, she does not. Rather, Will goes through with the assisted suicide and informs Louisa that even though she has made him happy, it would still not be his life.
I've read the book. I've seen the movie. I loved both. The book made me rethink life and it's endless possibilities. It made me realize how quickly our lives can change, how one person can change our world, and how each day is a blessing because all it takes is a blink of an eye for everything to be gone. I watched the movie and was thrilled that it was such a very careful and thoughtful adaptation.
It was during all of this that I began to see people's responses to the movie. They claimed the movie itself was an insult to handicap people everywhere and it yet again portrays the "abled" person's perspective of a handicap's life.
I want to go on the record saying two things.
1. You're right, I am not able to understand the pain and suffering handicapped people experience. I won't pretend like I can, either.
2. Everything in this article is my (20 year-old college student) opinion.
There are numerous things wrong with people's hatred towards "Me Before You."Don't get me wrong, I bawled when Will decided to go through with the assisted suicide. It tore me up inside. But it was his decision as a grown man, with the capability to chose whether or not he wanted to live. Louisa made him happy, as he himself says in the movie. But the life he lives confined to his wheelchair is not his life.
That is not to say that it is not a life. But rather, it is not his life. Will was someone who loved to be active and do adrenaline-pumping, terrifyingly dangerous things. He pushed his body's limits and shoved boundaries aside. He lived a life most people are afraid of. But that was his life. And he loved it.
Once his accident took that life away from him, he was angry. Someone who once loved to ski and sky-dive and bungee jump is no longer able to feed himself or stand or shake a hand. Pain, suffering, illness and every other complication aside, it was not the life Will wanted.
There are numerous scenes that did not make it into the movie. Some, I could do without. However, there are two scenes I thought were vital to the story itself. Will attempted to kill himself before. He rolled over a nail again and again in an attempt to slit his own wrists. The reader learns of this from the perspective of his mother, who reflects that Will must have been very determined in order to continue to roll over the nail again and again in an attempt to end his own life. After this incident, his parents agreed to allow him to plan for assisted suicide, after giving them six months of him living, in the hopes that they can change his mind.
Furthermore, I felt it was very upsetting that the movie left out the parts where Lou sought help online from quadriplegic support groups. She reached out to other people about their experiences. This not only let her learn of the hardships that she could never understand, but also she met other people in similar situations who loved their lives. She learned about the endless possibilities for quadriplegics (sports, ski-diving, traveling, etc.) and she wanted that life for Will. But, most importantly, she wanted Will to want that life too.
Like I said, "Me Before You"is not about the hardships of quadriplegics or the love of two people or anything else people think it is. Though those things are portrayed and are a reason why so many people loved the book and movie, the story itself is about so much more. It is about choices. It is about one's power over their own life.
Even at the end of the book, Will says to Lou: you still don't get it. It's my choice.
Since the moment of his accident, Will had been doing what others wanted him to do. His parents still attempted to change his mind until his very last days. They hoped, for their own selfishness, that Will would put aside his feelings to stay alive.
However, Will did not want to live the life he had been given. He was tired of people making decisions for himself. He was tired of living the life that he did not want. It was his choice to go through with the assisted suicide. It was one man's story in the very complicated understanding of quadriplegia. The book, the movie and the actors did not at any moment attempt or want to portray the thoughts or feelings of quadriplegics everywhere. However, they did attempt to tell the story of one man named Will Traynor.
In the author's note of the book, JoJo Moyes admits that the story attempts to tackle the complicated conversation of assisted suicide. I want to say that, regardless of what people are saying, I think she and the movie makers did a wonderful job with this. They handled the difficult topic with grace, dignity, and love. They allowed Will to make his own choice for his own life with dignity, which is the entire purpose of assisted suicide.
Assisted suicide is a difficult topic. It is complicated and complex and sticky. And I know a lot of people disagree with it. I know a lot of people think the book or the movie was insensitive. But I have to disagree. I think this book, and movie, attempted to tackle one of the most challenging conversations of our time.
I would like to remind everyone that the story has more than one quadriplegic, though the movie does not portray these people. Their stories are heard in the book as well, a lot of them are happy with the lives they lead, some of them are not. But can we say that all people are happy with the lives they lead? If they were, I don't think suicide would be around, assisted or not.
And, more importantly, the book taught me that it is not my decision to make the choice for someone to stay alive, no matter their physical state. They have to want it for themselves. After all, don't we all have free will?