Listening from the Sidelines: The Telling and Retelling of Stories by Centenarians (2003)

Since long before Ponce de Leon's sixteenth-century search for island of Bimini and Fountain of Youth, people have been fascinated by longevity. However, in twenty-first century, longevity is not simply a fascination, it is for many a reality. Increased longevity is a result of improved health status that has been enhanced by emergence of preventive medicine, advancements in medical technology, such discoveries as new forms of antibiotics, and a new emphasis on wellness. Individuals have begun to realize that life-style factors can influence whether they will have a healthier and longer life-of perhaps 100 years, or more. In 1900, life expectancy at birth in United States was about forty-seven years; and if you lived to be age 65, you could have expected to live another twelve years (Quadagno, 2002). Until recently, living to 100 was considered a highly unusual event. However, recent U.S. Census data (2002) indicate that there are now more than 58,000 centenarians living in United States, with a projected increase to 1,095,000 by year 2050. Consequently, researchers and general public alike are beginning to regard these oldest of old as beacons guiding us to a new possibility of longer life-perhaps, the age of centenarians. Given demographic shift toward longer life expectancy in United States, and increasing numbers of centenarians, I undertook a study to examine stories of several members of this population to identify narrative themes associated with their sagas. Fisher's narrative paradigm (1984, 1985a, 1985b) provided an appropriate method to evaluate these stories. MAKING SENSE OF EMERGENT THEMES A goal of narrative analysis is to increase our understanding of how meaning emerges and is used by people in a particular context. By focusing on interpretative analysis, we can discover how people create meanings through stories. Fisher (1984) proposes that reality is composed of sets of stories from which we must choose. Narratives contain key themes that display an individual's experiences and person's values. Through stories we explain our actions and beliefs, and we lend meaning to our lives. The Homo narrans, or human storyteller, is a central figure in discourse and interaction. Through stories we are able to find order, purpose, and guidance in our experiences. Fisher suggests that we repeatedly test fidelity of stories to determine whether they are consistent with other stories or experiences we have known in our own lives. Thus, question or criterion for evaluation consists of assessment of moral, or practical meaning, of story. Does moral that narrative seeks to teach correspond to moral character of audience? From this perspective, social reality is composed of various stories from which people choose in a continual process based upon reasons, which may vary in form and according to context. Fisher (1989, p. 194) suggests that good reasons are those we perceive as (1) True to and consistent with what we think we know and what we value, (2) appropriate to whatever decision is pending, (3) promising in effects for ourselves and others, and (4) consistent with what we believe is an ideal basis for conduct. NARRATIVE THEME 1: THE GOOD OLD DAYS The following narratives are connected to an overarching theme embedded within many of stories told by centenarians-that despite difficult times when they were young, centenarians still reflect on best of times and simplicity of their youth. For example, Ella Miller, who was 117 years old at time of her interview with Neenah Ellis, recalled simple joys of drinking fresh spring water: My mother raised family. She had to work hard in order to feed children and raise them up. She always taught them nice things in life. We had to go to bottom of hill to get water to drink out of spring. …