9/11 Survivors Search for Normalcy by Anemona

¶ … 9/11 survivors search for normalcy" by Anemona Hartocollis, survivors of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 still fight psychological and physical demons, long after the rest of the world has attained a state of 'normalcy' and the attacks are no longer a foreground concern in the media. Lauren Manning, a former employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, can no longer lead a normal life and counts herself lucky to be alive after surviving having nearly 80% of her body severely burned. Although the symbolic language of mourning in our society tends to focus upon the fallen, or those who lost love ones, Hartocollis implies that this tends to ignore people whose lives were irrevocably changed through injury.

The focus of the article is to understand the perspective of these injured victims, according to the sociological principle of verstehen (putting one's self in another's shoes in a spirit of understanding and community) and understanding the symbolic function such victims play in the current American interpretation of the tragedy. For some survivors, the aftereffects of the attacks were so extreme, medically speaking, they felt unable to continue with their old lives. Elaine Duch can no longer work because of the burns she suffered and has extreme anxiety as a result of her injuries. She cut herself off from her former friends and says that now her current friends only know her as 'an injured person' because the pain of being expected to seem the same as before was too great.

Although these badly burned victims received medical assistance, they seem unable to move on from their experiences, partially because of the fact that their injuries are lingering reminders of the trauma and because society seems to offer them no way to mourn and put the experience behind them. The symbolic functions of laying the dead to rest, such as the creation of the 9/11 memorial and reading the names of the fallen every year do not highlight the living monuments of those who are still suffering from their experiences. Duch even changed the color of her hair, in a seemingly desperate stab to escape the person whom she once was, who worked at the Port Authority. Becoming an 'injured' person is an integral part of her sense of self now: physical and psychotherapy structure her days.

The functionalist sociological perspective, however, would underline the fact that not all victims felt such a sense of identity displacement. Harry Waizer went back to work part-time as an accountant for Cantor Fitzgerald, and says that the experience helped deepen his connection to his wife and children. His ability to continue on with his life seems to have provided him with a sense of stability -- Waizer was able to fit back into society and his family and by fulfilling these roles, he gained a sense of resiliency. The fact that Manning was able to write a book about her experience; still follows the stock market; and works with Cantor Fitzgerald's 9/11 relief fund likewise provides her with a source of solace in performing a function for society. So does the ability to wear the fashionable clothes she once loved before the accident which affirms her status as a feminine woman.