Rent Story Question.

...HIV/AIDS isn't something you can "get over" at this point, so no, Mark has never had AIDS. I think he's using "survive" as just...he's the only one that hasn't (during the course of the musical) broken up with someone, or ran away from his past, etc. (of course, running away from your present isn't an ideal way to survive, either, but we love him anyways.)

It's kind of a double meaning. Literally surving. And he is still living his life. The ironic thing is he's living his life at a distance. He only survives because he doesn't really live. It's quite brilliant.

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I think the quote has to do with a LOT more than AIDS.

Roger is emotionally shut off. He's hardly left their apartment in how long? He's sick, his girlfriend is dead, and now he's about to lose Mimi, on top of the fact that Angel has just died. He's only gotten by because he's shut down. But is that living? Just sitting and staring out your window, hating yourself? Mark says no. And Roger throws back in his face that Mark does not much better; he pretends to feel as he creates, but he, too, is numb.

Also, I think that even in his anger, Mark is more sensitive than to throw the fact that Roger has AIDS back at him, in terms of "survival." I don't think he'd be like "you're dying and I'm not." I think he means that he's still living for something, and Roger isn't even trying.

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I agree with the people above. I also took it as the fact that Mark is the only one without AIDS, and the only one with the rest of his life ahead of him, he kind of takes it for granted and feels as though he doesn't have to live every second as if its his last, because he has more time than everyone else. Because of this he detatches himself, and doesn't really live life as those who know they are not going to have it in the near future.

Is Mark actually the only one with AIDS out of the group? We can guess Benny has AIDS becuase he was with Mimi, but from what I know it was never actually stated. Same for maureen and Joanne, it was never, to my knowlege, said that they had AIDS.
Sorry for the threadjack!

Updated On: 2/1/06 at 04:59 PM

Benny, Mark, Joanne, and Maureen are HIV-neg.

Mark, AIDS? No.

I never thought he did either, Kringas..I was just checking the possiblity of it, since many people were saying Mark was the only one who does not infact have AIDS. I never thought Benny was actually HIV positive, but I was just toying with the idea that he might indeed be HIV positive, however unlikely that idea is!

"'Is that even a real question? How can someone with HIV/AIDS later beat them?'

Maybe you should do a bit of research."

Not quite sure what you mean "do your research." HIV is an incurable virus. While there are medications today that can delay the virus from developing into AIDS, there is certainly no cure and you don't "beat them."
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Thank you, I didn't even need to reply myself.
So, if you're wondering if some other characters in the play are HIV positive, the answer is no.
This is because Jonathan Larson made clear that this was just what specific characters are going through, and would have done the same with others if that was the case.

and for this

"I never thought Benny had HIV. It's very difficult for a woman to infect a man with it via heterosexual sex. Not impossible, but difficult."

Remember Roger and April's story.

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I must admit that I always found that comment out of character for Mark.

Except that they are in the middle of a heated argument. I think it kind of slipped out actually (or at least that's the way I interpreted it from the reaction of the actors I've seen immediately following the comment).

I always took that line to mean that Mark was litteraly saying he was the one (out of them all) who would be left living. I felt he was telling Roger that when you're all gone I will be the one left to have to cope with it all. That's why Roger says "Poor Baby", as if to say "So you get to live - screw you". Mark is detaching himself from everyone/everything to make it easier when they are gone.

Mark's detachment is his defense mechanism for dealing with everything going on around him - I never thought he was saying that he was the one who was actually "surviving" as in dealing with life. I'd have to think about that some more......

I always assumed because he's the only who doesn't have HIV/AIDS

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I think another reason for "Perhaps it's because..." is that the original NYTW version had Roger saying something to the effect of, "At least you're the one of us to survive," and Larson chose to alter it only slightly for the sake of rythmn/rhyme.

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