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Why is it significant that Skloot mentions Deborah "picking the red polish off her nails" as she is having a breakdown with Gary?
Nail polish is an image filled with meaning in the story of the Lacks women. Henrietta is a women who is described as always keeping her nails polished and neat, and it is the sight of the chipped polish on her toes during her autopsy that humanizes her to Gey's assistant, Mary. By making sure to mention Deborah's polish, Skloot connects her to her mother in yet another way. Henrietta's polish only chipped when she was in too much agonizing pain to even think about fixing it, and Deborah's chips hers away when she feels a different kind of...
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