Death

Last class, we talked about two instances of death appearing within the first two chapters. I don't remember the exact quotes that we referenced in class, but I remember that the language was very contrasting. One emphasized the importance and the meaning of the death, while the other made it seem like a more trivial occurrence.

Right in the beginning of chapter three, we are presented with a very descriptive tale of swallowing a chicken bone. The author writes about how this ultimately kills Eva's mother. As I was reading this section, I was almost confused. I was reading about such a sad bodily occurrence, but the way it was described was so intriguing. I couldn't help but draw parallels between Eva's language and what was physically happening to her mother's body in the story. Eva says, "…because from that day I have had to sharpen my perception in order not to lose her among the shadows-of-no-return where disembodied spirits go to rest." It amused me how Eva used the word sharpen in describing how it was, in fact, a sharp chicken bone lodged in her mother's throat which killed her.

Also, I liked when Eva was explaining how the bone may have severed something internally causing her to bleed to death. She says, "When she realized that her life was draining away, she took me with her to our room off the patio, to be together until the end." I thought this was once again a unique word choice that connects the situation physically and mentally. "Draining away" could be used in any number of situations where someone is dying, but Eva's mother was literally draining away because of the chicken bone.

Finally, this section kind of disturbed me when I read it. Usually when someone is dying, we try to save them. We try to treat them and keep it from happening. There was this super relaxed feeling throughout this whole passage which made Eva's mother seem almost weak. Eva's mother was preparing herself for death, while it was happening. As the reader, I was physically uncomfortable during this section. I felt like I was seeing these events unfold right before my eyes through the lens of Eva. The physical actions of the bodies in this section hit me especially hard emotionally.