The Fear of Death

The Fear of Death

            Death is something that all human beings will have to face at a given point in their lives. However, the response to the same is quite different for every individual. Some are more afraid of the process when compared to others. Psychologist refers to such a feeling as thanatophobia, which refers to death anxiety. As individuals, we tend to avoid unpleasant thoughts such as those related to death and instead focus on the good things that life has to offer. The main aim of this essay is to discuss the fear of death both in fiction and our real world today.

Kubler-Ross is one literary writer who devoted her time to sensitize the people on the aspect of death and why it is a feared phenomenon in society today. According to the writer of the essay ‘On the Fear of Death,” the technological and increased science innovation has resulted in the increased fear for death. It also looks at the stages of grief, death and the dying process. Ross states that some individuals fear death itself while others are afraid of the process of dying. Despite these differences, families deal with the epidemic differently. She also notes that when a person is diagnosed with a particular illness, they seek medical assistance to help prolong their lives due to the fear of death (Kübler-Ross, 175). Regardless of this, she asserts that there are some cases where technology or medicine cannot prevent one from losing a life. It is for this reason that she concludes that all living things will all at some point in life die not for lack of the right medical intervention but because it’s the way of life.

Virginia Woolf is another literary writer who looks at the theme of death in the story “The Death of the Moth.” The narrator of the story describes how the world is outside from behind her window in the house. The world is said to be full of energy as evident in the birds and horses as well as the fields. It is in this world that a moth is seen trying to escape through the window to enjoy life look other creatures outside. The moth dances and moves about in a carefree manner for it is enjoying the life brought about for all the living things in the environment. The behavior of the moth fully describes the nature of life that both animals and human beings enjoy. However, after a short while, the moth that was full of life and vigour seems to be in a desperate state struggling to free itself from the grasps of the window pane. Woolf notes that the moth has ceased dancing but instead fallen. The narrator was about to offer help to the moth for it to continue enjoying life but realized that it would be an interference with the death process that the creature faced at that moment.

The story of the moth, as told by Woolf highly corresponds with the true nature of life and death for other living things as human beings. The moth plays a role that is similar to that of life in society today (Bishop 343). The central theme evident from the short story is the mystery of life and death as it corresponds to the nature of life in the world. In the beginning, we are told that the moth is full of energy and dances around not caring for what lies in store for it for he is unaware of the coming events. The moth is not oblivious that its life will be cut short in a matter of minutes. The trees and other creatures in the fields such as the birds are also not aware of what will befall the moth as they sway to the rhythm of nature, “a tiny bead of pure life… dancing and zig-zagging to show us the true nature of life” (Woolf 21). The speaker is greatly touched when the moth ceases to enjoy the pleasures of life and suddenly lies prostrate and powerless waiting for the last minute of its life.

The narrator also despairs watching the moth die as its energized body had been overcome by weakness. It is after this event that the narrator realizes life is most important depending on the dignity and meaning that one puts into life when still alive. The sudden change of events from a dancing moth to a dead one shows that individuals ought to enjoy every bit of life as it will at a point, come to an end without warning. Thus, instead of worrying when it will come to an end, the people should make use of the precious and fleeting moments of life by spending it wisely and to the fullest (Menzies et al., 21). Besides, the moth is similar to human beings who struggle to stay alive when it’s their time to go. They will seek all means to keep them breathing without knowing that life has to come to an end regardless of what one does.

“The Masque of the Red Death” by Allan Poe is yet another fictional work that looks at the aspect of death and the fear of man for the same. The prince of the fictional city, Prospero tries by all means to avoid the Red Death plague that was causing devastating destruction through the gruesome and quick killing of its victims. Despite the high speed at which the disease was spreading in the area, the prince was happy and hopeful that he would overcome it. He tries to keep the plague at bay by locking all the entrances to his palace to fend off the illness. The prince succeeds in doing so for some months and decides to host a masquerade party to celebrate together with other affluent individuals in society.

Apart from the masquerade costumes that all invites were to wear, the prince also decorated all the rooms in the palace in single colors. The last room, which was number seven, was decorated in black with red windows. The room also had an ebony clock that rang after every hour disrupting the activities in the palace. The guests entered the other six rooms in the palace but avoided the last one due to its color, clock and ominous ambience. “But to the chamber which lies most westward of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away (Poe 7).

However, the appearance of a new guest dressed differently from the others turns out to be costly for both the prince and other guests. His mask was similar to the face of a corpse while the garments resembled the funeral shroud. Prospero was so agitated that he confronted the guest in the seventh room leading to his immediate demise. The other guests who went to find out what the problem was, also suffered the same consequence as they all perished.

The short story is an allegory for the prevailing symbols combines to convey a specific message to the readers. It is an allegory regarding life and death as well as the inability of humans to escape death when time is ready. Despite the prince having everything he requires in life, such as a luxurious palace, the rich food and countless rich friends, he could not run away from death. The rooms in the palace also refer to the stages of life that individuals pass through. Most of the guests, including the prince, avoided going into the seventh room as it represented the night or dark phase of a person’s life through the black color used in its decoration.

However, it was their time on that day, and they could no longer hide. Death in the form of a new guest infiltrated their party leading to the demise of all the people. Despite their fear for the last room as it was the case with the fear of death, they had to come face to face with it eventually. The ebony clock in the room served as a reminder to the prince and his guests that time was not on their side as they had to face death as everyone else in that country.

In conclusion, no one in society today can say that they have lived their life well, and they are ready to die. All the people are afraid of death and try to run away from it by the use of science and modern technology to prolong their lives. However, from the brief essay by Kubler_Ross on the fear of death, all the living things in the world are destined to die at a given point. Besides, the short stories by Allan Poe and Woolf also indicate that death is part of life, and there is no way one can escape such.