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The Theme Of Death In Shute's On The Beach

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Death is an idea that everyone must wrestle with at one point in their life, whether it be a quickly approaching doom or a peaceful end sixty years down the line. In Shute’s On the Beach, each character’s individual arch in the novel take separate paths but are all headed towards the same place: death. In response to the extreme scenario they are thrown into, that climax will come much sooner than any of them intended and many are left wondering if they are ready to meet their end. What each one of them decide to do along the way in order to make their lives end on a positive note relates to how they choose to approach death. The theme deals with the way they react to their death, and what each distinct reaction does for them whether it be comfort, distraction, or enjoyment.

Being that no one can simply escape death, seeking comfort in it, or even welcoming it is a tempting idea that many might juggle with when meeting their end. Peter Holmes is a character in the novel with an ideal much in line with that goal: finding comfort in his doom and accepting his death. However, that may only be scraping the surface in relation to his true beliefs and motives. He knows a great deal more about the impending threat than his wife Mary because she lives a life "sheltered from realities, living in a sentimental dream world of her own" (Shute 127). He carefully tries to bring her to the same realization he had already accepted and chooses his words selectively saying “We’re all going to get it. Every living thing. Dogs and cats and babies-- everyone,”(Shute 125). He even implies that their infant daughter is involved. Peter, having been serving in the Australian Navy for years, is a strong willed man able to face the truth and protect his family from it. For that reason, he takes it upon himself to make it easier on them and attempts to put a positive spin on the terrible truth. Simply put, he welcomes his and his family's death in order to assure his wife that everything will be ok. Despite his love for the sea and the relaxation it brings him, he asks Commander Towers “Will the ship be at sea for much of that time, sir? Things aren't too easy now, compared with what they used to be, and it's a bit difficult at

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