Death In The Family Character Analysis

A Death in the Family by James Agee demonstrates that religious beliefs are a crucial ingredient in the way people cope with traumatizing situations in life. The sudden death of Jay Follet, a father and husband, is what the characters in this novel have been dealing with. Each character has a different point of view of religion that has played a role on how they live after the death. For example, Mary Follet, wife of Jay, is Catholic and has a deep belief in God, which affects the way she sees the death by showing her that God made it happen. Mary and Jay have two children, Rufus and Catherine, whom are too young to have decided what they believe in. Rufus does not look at the death in a religious way. The people around him, however, are demonstrating

their ways of coping with the death. For example, Mary is coping by telling herself that the events occurring are all happening for a reason of which she does not know yet. Andrew, Jay’s brother, is non-religious, but eventually develops religion related beliefs by the end of the novel. These methods reflect the different character’s own religious beliefs, Catholicism being an example, and influence the children. Readers learn that religious beliefs can affect people’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions on grief in a strong way.

Mary Follet, being Catholic, has traits that make it difficult for her to cope with the death, while her husband, Jay, is not religious at all. In the beginning of the story, Mary prays for her religion to not come between her and Jay. “Jay’s rural background, refusal to join the Catholic church, and relaxed manner have long bothered Mary.”(Adamson, 92). Mary greatly desires to raise her children as Catholic, but Jay and his family do not see the point. Early in the story, when Rufus questions his mother about death, she answers solely using religious ideology. Mary’s beliefs carry on after the death when she says that “God put him to sleep and took him to heaven.” (Agee, 125). She believes that God has something major to do with the death. We see that not only will it be difficult for Mary to raise her children without them questioning her fanatical beliefs, but also that it will be difficult for Rufus to accept such beliefs because they do not logically make sense to him.

Rufus does not look at the death in a religious way like his mother does. He spends a lot of his life trying to understand himself and gain approval from his father instead. Rufus has always had a deep connection with Jay.“He suspects that his father is lonely even though he is in a happy marriage, and it could be because of his different view on religion.” (Gale Databases, Overview: A Death in the Family). What this means is that Jay, who is not religious at all, being with a wife that’s religious to the extreme, made Rufus realize that his father was a little lonely while he was alive. “With the death of his father, Rufus is exposed to an adult’s loneliness rather than a child’s.” (Gale Databases, Overview: A Death in the Family). Now that his father is gone, Rufus feels like he has nobody. Although he has his mother, she is far too religious for him to bond well with her after the death. He also does not have many friends, as he is bullied by the other kids in his neighborhood. Therefore Rufus experiences extreme loneliness. “For Rufus, a world that had seemed beautiful and comforting is now cold and frightening.” (Cavendish Square Digital, Agee, James). Without his father to comfort him, Rufus feels lost. It is clear that Rufus sides with his non-religious father, causing him to have a completely different way of coping with the death than his mother does.

Another character in the story, Andrew, Rufus’s uncle, is also non-religious.

However, his beliefs start to change during Jay’s funeral. “The family expresses their grief very differently at the funeral.” (Cavendish Square Digital, Agee, James). Each member of the family has different interpretations. Andrew goes from having zero religious beliefs, to believing that heaven might exist. Rufus has a talk with his Uncle Andrew, who tells him about something amazing that he saw when Jay’s coffin was being lowered into the ground. He said “Right when they began to lower your father into the ground, into his grave, a cloud came over and there was a shadow just like iron, and a perfectly magnificent butterfly settled on the coffin, and then flew up high into the sky.” (Agee, 330). To Andrew, the butterfly symbolizes Jay’s ascent to heaven. The butterfly on the grave flew up so high “as if it were going to heaven.” (Cavendish Square Digital). If anything could make Andrew believe in God, it would be this butterfly. He is not religious, but sees the butterfly in a miraculous way. One thing, the butterfly for example, can change a person’s beliefs. A change in beliefs can change one’s entire perspective on life, meaning that they may develop a different lifestyle than they previously lived. For example, one can live a more peaceful lifestyle if they stop seeing the world in such a harsh way. We learn that this can affect the way people cope with grief, making the coping easier or

harder.

It is clear that tensions arise between those who have different religious beliefs. The characters in the novel certainly show how religion has played a big role in the situation. Mary, being the most religious, has been affected more than anyone else from this death, but if she was not so in touch with God, then maybe that would not be the case. If Mary was not as religious, she would cope in a completely different way, just as the others did. We also find that it is possible for one to change their thoughts on religion, just as Andrew did. One thing can affect a person’s entire point of view, leading to a change in the way they cope. Rufus, being a young child, is surrounded by people with different religious beliefs, which puts an influence on the way he, himself, is coping. “Jay is a victim of progress, but so, too, are Rufus, Mary, and Catherine, no one can say how the family might have developed differently had Jay lived.”(Mazzeno, 1372). If Jay had lived, the family could’ve grown in a much different way than they do now. There would be no funeral, therefore Andrew would not develop religious beliefs of any sort in his life. Mary’s beliefs would not rub off on the children, and Rufus would not be so lonely. As a result, the family is making progress without Jay in their lives based off of their religion. Religious beliefs are indeed demonstrated as a crucial ingredient in the way people cope with traumatizing situations in life.

Works Cited

Agee, James. A Death in the Family. Penguin Classics, 1957.

Adamson, Lynda G. Thematic Guide to the American Novel. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002.

Agee, James. “A Death in the Family”. Masterplots, edited by Laurence W. Mazzeno, 4th edition, volume 3, Salem Press, 2011.

“Overview: A Death in the Family”. Galegroup.com 1997. Literature Resource Center, 12 February 2017. www.go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&u=emma47058&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CH1430002383&inPS=true

“Agee, James”. Cavendishsquaredigital.com Great American Writers. 12 February 2017. www.cavendishsquaredigital.com/article/11634/4/a-death-in-the-family