James Agees A Death In The Family Analysis

Since the start of time, and the preceding generations, death has impacted people and the way they act. A sudden, or even an expected death of a loved one, takes a toll on a person. It’s human nature for people to process and want to make sense of death and the loss it leaves behind. The five stages of grief reflect this process of dealing with the loss of a loved one. Through these stage of grieving, people can get lost either searching for answers or trying to get past it. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare depicts the role human nature plays in the striving for answers and justice surrounding death. Even though Hamlet was written early in the seventeenth century, the depiction of death and human nature still rings true today; people and

The life transition of death and dying is inevitably one with which we will all be faced; we will all experience the death of people we hold close throughout our lifetime. This paper will explore the different processes of grief including the bereavement, mourning, and sorrow individuals go through after losing someone to death. Bereavement is a period of adaptation following a life changing loss. This period encompasses mourning, which includes behaviors and rituals following a death, and the wide range of emotions that go with it. Sorrow is the state of ongoing sadness not overcome in the grieving process; though not pathological, persistent

Many people define their lives by the relationships within their family. They are someone’s daughter, someone’s wife, or someone’s mother or father. The loss of a family member, especially due to death, creates a radical readjustment to people’s day to day lives and how they see and feel about themselves. Sometimes the process of grief can last over several years and how it is mentally processed and dealt with is different for everyone. “Mud” by Geoffrey Forsyth, shows an insightful view of a grieving man who had already lost his father and grandmother and is now just coming to terms with the loss of his wife two years prior. The entire story is written in first person point of view which allows for the reader to fully engage themselves in the grief and strife of the narrator’s life. Geoffrey’s story “Mud” begins in the home of the narrator where he encounters these dead family members and has to decide if he is ready to move on from his grief and say goodbye or stay behind and be consumed by it.

The theme of parental mourning has been a universal one throughout the centuries. In the literature on bereavement, writers repeat certain themes, thoughts, and reflections; they talk of the powerful and often conflicting emotions involved in "the pain of grief and the

The Joe family was introduced to counseling prior to the death of Mama Joe whose death resulted in conflict within the family. Prior to the death of Mama Joe, there were a rise in emotional stressors in the family such as financial stability, Family conflict, and coping skills. The initial problem presented in this family is the death of Mama Joe and individual conflicts within the family. Many of the problems seen in this family can be traced back to the death of Mama Joe, without her acting as the families functioning unit, there is a shift in the Joe family dynamic. Terri expresses financial strain from maintaining the family’s bills, there is also a noticeable conflict between Maxine and Terri, as well as infidelity between Cousin faith and Terri’s husband. After doing an initial assessment the best treatment in this family is first helping the family cope with the death of Big Mama. The impact of death within the family system is something that is not discussed, and inadequate attention has been given on the long-term effects of death within the surviving members. Froma Walsh assists professionals in understanding the complex issues that arises when families are faced with death in her book Living beyond Loss: Death in the family. Walsh breaks down family adaption into 4 major tasks which she uses to help strengthen the functioning unit. One task that can help the joe family is what Walsh describes as Shared acknowledgement of the reality of death This task states that, “Every family member must confront the reality of a death in the family. Acknowledgment of the loss is facilitated by clear information and open communication about the facts and circumstances of the death. Inability to accept the reality of death can lead family members to avoid contact with the rest of the family or to become angry with others who are moving forward in the grief process. Long-standing sibling conflicts and cutoffs can Often be traced back to the bedside of a dying parent or to the graveside.”{pg. 28} This accurately depicts the Joe family whose family dynamic shifted after the death of Mama Joe. Because of this shift the family lacked the ability to cope, which lead to isolation amongst family members, sibling

The loss of a family member is always hard to deal with and it affects everyone differently. Some people are open about their feelings and others bottle them up. In terms of relationships within a family, usually the closest is between the parent and child. When this relationship is cut short or is nonexistent because of a loss it can be especially devastating. The loss of a family member does not always refer to an actual physical loss, but can also refer to an emotional distance put between two people. In “The Shawl” by Louise Erdrich, there is an example of a physical loss and its effects on the family, while in “Bone Black” by Bell Hooks the loss shown is of the emotional kind and it's aftermath. It is interesting to view these stories

The book, Lament For a Son, written by Nicholas Wolterstorff talks about his pain and grief after losing his 25-year-old son (Joy, 2009). His son died while on a mountain-climbing expedition. Dr. Wolterstorff has several books published during his career as a philosophical theology professor in Yale Divinity. However, he wrote Lament for a Son with a different journal style since it is a personal thing for him. The book is similar to a journal as he narrates the events that happened before and after his son’s death. The emotions expressed in the book are common among people who lose close relatives. What matters is how a person handles the issue. Kubler-Ross invented the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptancethat explain the escalation of grief when stricken by bad news (Axelrod, 2004). The paper looks into the book and its relation to the five stages of grief.

A beloved family member’s death may either torn a family apart or bring them closer together. Some people take the news of their loved one’s death harder than others. Some people have different reactions than others. Some people deal with the suffering different from others. In Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, the narrator and Sonny deals with their suffering different. After the death of both of their parents, the brother faced reality and locked his feelings up. Sonny is more open and deals with his suffering by playing music and doing drugs. At the end of the story, both brothers have learn to understand and listen to each other. In my case, my families, including my aunts and uncles from my father’s side, enjoy each other’s company before

When a loved when is gone it feels like a hole in the world. With much grief he says, “Never again will anyone inhabit the world the way he did. Questions I have can never now get answers. The world is emptier. My son is gone. Only a hole remains, Avoid, a gap, never to be filled”(33). This phrase describes his emotions and how he views the world without his son. The author gives advice on what to say to someone who is mourning. He says to never say its Ok because its never okay and death is awful. “ What I need to hear from you is that you recognize how painful it is. I need to hear from you that you are with me in my desperation” (34). When some passes away no one really knows what his or her loved ones are feeling because each death is unique and each person is different. The wisest of words don’t even make the pain go away, and all that can be done is lending an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on.

A universal theme that all human beings encounter that triggers emotional and physical aspects is grief. However, different cultures experience bereavement in a variety of ways (Pomeroy & Garcia, 2009). From a priest’s standpoint, Hater (2017) shared how he learned how to cope with death when he spent time with his ill father and during his priesthood. While he remained at his father’s side during his sickness, he stated how the emotional event was like an up and down rollercoaster, but at the end of the journey, the Holy Spirit invites us into a new life, which renews hope. Nevertheless, Hater (2017) discloses how the grief process helps us become stronger and support others who are psychologically and physically suffering from a loss of

Death and dying is a natural and unavoidable process that all living creatures will experience at some point in life, whether it is one’s own person death or the death of a close friend or family member. Along with the experience of death comes the process of grieving which is the dealing and coping with the loss of the loved one. Any living thing can grieve and relate to a loss, even children (Shortle, Young, & Williams, 1993). “Childhood grief and mourning of family and friends may have immediate and long-lasting consequences including depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, behavioral disturbances, and school underachievement” (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2006, p. 61). American children today grow up in cultures that attempt to avoid grief and

“Ordinary people” everywhere are faced day after day with the ever so common tragedy of losing a loved one. As we all know death is inevitable. We live with this harsh reality in the back of our mind’s eye. Only when we are shoved in the depths of despair can we truly understand the multitude of emotions brought forth. Although people may try to be empathetic, no one can truly grasp the rawness felt inside of a shattered heart until death has knocked at their door. We live in an environment where death is invisible and denied, yet we have become desensitized to it. These inconsistencies appear in the extent to which families are personally affected by death—whether they

The loss of a loved one is a very crucial time where an individual can experience depression, somatic symptoms, grief, and sadness. What will be discussed throughout this paper is what the bereavement role is and its duration, as well as the definition of disenfranchised grief and who experiences this type of grief. I will also touch upon the four tasks of mourning and how each bereaved individual must accomplish all four tasks before mourning can be finalized. Lastly, with each of these topics, nursing implications will be outlined on how to care for bereaved individuals and their families.

James Agee's A Death in the Family is a posthumous novel based on the largely complete manuscript that the author left upon his death in 1955. Agee had been working on the novel for many years, and portions of the work had already appeared in The Partisan Review, The Cambridge Review, The New Yorker, and Harper's Bazaar.

Death, although it is a part of life, can be very hard on those whom were close to the deceased person. Life provides one with the abundance of love, happiness, and freedom, but death can take all of that away in an instant. It is especially hard on close loved ones because, sometimes, there is an irreconcilable amount of grief. With the loved one gone, life takes on some drastic changes, and requires the to survivor start new routines without the support and companionship of the beloved. “The Story of an Hour,” “The Management of Grief,” and “The Jewelry” deal with the theme of life after the death of a loved-one.