Contagion Essay Questions

How does the virus begin to spread in America?

As patient zero, Beth Emhoff is at the center of the outbreak in the United States as she has recently traveled back from Hong Kong on a business trip. Before coming home she has an affair with a former lover in Chicago and this starts the spread of the virus. She and her son die from it, and it is her case that leads to the spread of the infection.

How does Dr. Hextall get the vaccine to be approved for use on humans?

Dr. Hextall has developed a potential vaccine to stop MEV-1. In order to allow it to be used to help others, she injects herself with it, and goes to visit her father who has MEV-1. The result is that she walks away healthy without having contracted the virus, which proves that the vaccine is successful, and allows it to go into production.

How did Beth get the virus?

As we learn in the final montage, Beth, while in Hong Kong, shook hands with a chef who prepared a meal using pork. That pork came from a pig that had eaten a banana dropped by a bat (that had previously been eating that same banana). The virus was created from some viral combination between the bat and pig and then transmitted through the chef to Beth, and this is how MEV-1 began to spread to the world.

What is the plot line involving Cheever and his janitor meant to show the viewer?

Cheever is friendly with the janitor in his office at the CDC, often giving him casual medical advice when they interact. With the outbreak of the virus, Cheever must make complicated moral decisions about whom he warns and helps and from whom he hides information. Eventually, after he leaks information about the virus to his wife and must face prosecution, Cheever makes the decision to give his two vaccine doses to his janitor and his son. In this narrative, we see the ways that inequality and class play in to access and safety in relation to the pandemic. The janitor and his son do not have the same access to medical privileges and care that Cheever and his wife do because of their socioeconomic status, so Cheever extends his privileges to them as an act of charity. Through this, we see that economics and class have everything to do with healthcare.

Which detail complicates Mitch Emhoff's moral dilemma as a single father?

Early in the film, Mitch finds himself in an unexpected position as a single father who has also lost a son to the virus. He must remain strong and protect his daughter, Jory, who resents being penned in and controlled, while also helping her feel loved at an exceedingly difficult time. When he learns that Beth had an affair with a former lover on the day that she returned from Hong Kong, he is put in an even more difficult position. He must navigate not only his fear about the future without a wife, but also the anger and betrayal he feels in learning about his late wife's indiscretions. This puts even more pressure on Mitch, but he is still able to remain a stable and loving father for his daughter.