Disability in American Literature
Disabled characters in American Literature both reflect the views of American society about disability and also influence perceptions of disability. The American ideal of disability as a hindrance and something to be healed at all costs is presented in American literature. The American ideal is still upheld, but takes on a different significance when minority authors apply disability and cure to their characters, because more often than not, the minority characters do not have the same kind of access to medicine that white characters have.