ABSTRACT
Suffering is spoken uniquely by the voices of bodies, identities and roles, and if the elder is asked, through a story about suffering. The body is the first means of self-revelation, the medium through which one experiences oneself and the world. When the borders of the body break down through suffering, the body becomes marked through its lack of mobility, distorted configuration, obvious pain, or conspicuous silence. Roles are socially played out; they are created by circumstances and relationships, such as being a worker, a retiree, a parent, and a child to a parent. Aged sufferers may assume a new or restructured role, such as a "sick person," "housebound elder," "patient," or a "bereaved person" that is framed by circumstances. Narrative embeds the story of suffering within the life story, within the pervasive aspects of identity, such as age, class, gender, and race, and in the multi-layered and "mighty long" vantage of older age.
