Veeva Gathani (Dubai)
Why do we instantly respond to the word ‘death’ with unequivocal fear? Could it be the way society has disciplined us to treat death as an unwelcomed force? The fear of death derives from the fear of the unknown, however when experienced, it seems as though death is harder on those who are left behind.
Literature portrays death in innumerable ways. In fact, it is easy to analyse many pieces of obscure literature and find a link to death, which could be due to its ambiguity, therefore lending itself well to a range of abstract depictions.
A fascinating representation of this theme can be seen in ‘The Book Thief’ where Death is the narrator. Here, Death appears almost human, striving to amend the perceptions that people have of him. Through his non-chronological narration, Death explains his role in the world and how his job often tires him out, given the emotional burden it brings. This atypical presentation of death defies the common sentiment around the theme. Through the narrative voice of Death, the reader experiences an adventure through the lens of this theme rather than Death being side-lined as a consequence of someone’s wrong doings. This abstruse glorification of death is unusual to literature and a refreshing perspective to see.
When looking at Carol Ann Duffy’s collection of ‘World Wife’s Poems’ Death is certainly not an unfamiliar character making appearances in poems such as Demeter and Little Red Cap. The most striking however, is the depiction of Death in Mrs Lazarus. Duffy’s use of Black humour to accentuate the grief felt by the voice of the poem indicates the significance of death. This portrayal can be seen as somewhat common and in contrast to ‘The Book Thief’.
Duffy exemplifies a chronological pattern through the stages of bereavement, going from anger to denial then finally acceptance. In the first stanza, Duffy uses a lexical field of harsh monosyllabic verbs such as “shrieked,” “clawed” and “retched” which are seen to exacerbate her outrage and temper. She follows this with multiple alliterations of softer euphonious words such as “window,” “one” and “white” implying a feeling of nostalgia and yearning. Although seemingly common, the portrayal of death in this poem comes with a twist whereby the voice finds out that her husband is not in fact dead. Duffy introduces this in the last stanza by saying, “He lived.” The anti-climax and pathos of this declarative statement erases the hard work of the persona by which she starts the poem, “I had grieved.” The emphatic nature of the statement illustrates the futility of the voice’s stages of grief.
These contrasting depictions of death demonstrate how writers can manipulate this theme to their liking and as it is so dubious and inconclusive, is it easy to shape it to the writer’s intentions and needs. Moreover, our society is craving to know what happens after death and the reality behind it. As we are unable to conclusively answer this question, literature provides a means in which people can attach themselves to one interpretation or portrayal and use it to give them hope and reassurance.
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