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Articles

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026): ILN Journal: Indian Literary Narratives

Cancer as a Shared Experience: Reading Melissa Kantor’s Maybe One Day through Symbolic Interactionism

Submitted
7 May 2026
Published
2026-06-30

Abstract

  Young Adult Fiction often presents illness in a way that helps readers understand how serious disease affects the emotional and social lives of teenagers. It offers both an authentic portrayal of medical conditions and a deeper exploration of their meanings. Melissa Kantor’s Maybe One Day centres on the friendship between Zoe and Olivia, whose lives change completely when Olivia is diagnosed with leukemia. This paper studies the novel through Herbert Blumer’s theory of symbolic interactionism. It explains that people act according to the meanings that things have for them. These meanings are formed through social interaction and are modified through interpretation. By focusing on the representation of cancer and the interactions Zoe has with Olivia, health professionals, family members, and friends, this paper argues that cancer in the novel is understood not only as a medical condition but also as a shared social experience that is shaped through everyday relationships.

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