The woman

The woman is one of the main characters of the short story “Terminal” by Nadine Gordimer. The story reveals that she teaches music in a music school (pp. 142-143, ll. 35-36) and that she has given up teaching because of her illness. Several clues, including the reference to the “contraption” (p. 142, l. 24) attached to her body, suggest that she has bowel cancer and that she is terminally ill. The text shows that she is married but does not disclose her age. However, the references to the weekends spent together in bed (p. 142, ll. 6-7) and to the “childish pact” (p. 143, l. 16) suggest that she is probably middle-aged. 

The woman is deeply affected by her illness and is most likely depressed. First, she cannot recognize herself physically anymor...