Life and Death in Literature

Death is part of life, it is only natural that authors, and poetics writes about death. The word death brings different feelings to minds. Most are scare of the thought. Some embraces death, the thought of meeting our maker. The feeling to not exists, while the rest of the world goes on with their lives is overwhelming. To write about death, they have to write about life. Life and death is usually the plot in short stories, plays, and poems. “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner; “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin; and “When I have fears that I may cease to be” by John Keats all uses life and death as a plot.

The short story “A Rose for Emily” begins with the death of her father. The trauma of her father’s death puts her in a denial stage. She can not accept his death. After, accepting his death she went on living her life for the first time. The summer after her father’s death she falls in love with Homer Barron. This would be her living stage. She is living her life, for the first time. However, she becomes frighten of this love. So frighten that she plots his death. So purchase men items such as clothes, night shirt, and a toilet seat with his initials. Then she purchase rat poison. (Cited in DiYanni, 2007, pg.79)

The story does not tell what happen to Homer Barron, until after Emily’s death. Emily stops living before her actual death. She died when she killed Homer Barron. The only time Emily was happy, was when she was with Homer. After, she killed him, she stop going out. She just hides in her house. Life and death is the plot in this story. The suspense was the death of her boyfriend, knowing she killed him. The audience was waiting for the story to tell that she killed him; to see if she got caught...

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...and alone…” (cited in DiYanni, 2007, pg.1131)

“When I have fears that I may cease to be” plot is life and death. The conflict his Keats fears of death. His fear of not been successful in his writing career, before he dies. Also, Keats fear of leaving his love ones. .His life is the denouement. He turns to his family, to make the fear go away. He chooses to live, instead of dwelling on death. “Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.”(cited in DiYanni, 2007, pg.1131)

The moment life starts, is the moment that death is closer. All humans are aware of death. Most literature is about life experiences. When death occurs it affects the lives around it. That is why there are numerous short stories, plays, and poems about death.

Works Cited

DiYanni, R. (2007). Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. (6th Ed) New York, NY: McGraw- Hill.