In times of great sorrow, individuals often find themselves drowning. The despair, desperation, and darkness that accompany the tragedy of losing a loved one is engulfing. A life is torn away all too soon and suddenly, family and friends are left to pick themselves back up again. This despondence causes certain individuals to grasp helplessly onto religion as their lifeline. In A Death in the Family, James Agee showcases several characters with attachments to religion, most notably among those, Mary Follet, Aunt Hannah, and Father Jackson. In this novel, these characters turn both to religion and away from it. In trying times, religion can be a positive, unifying power, or it can act as a negative and isolating force. A Death in the Family
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Hannah’s attitude towards practicing her faith shows a high veneration that she carries towards religion. Whereas Mary prays for her own benefit, for example, while waiting to hear of Jay’s fate, Hannah displays a genuine deference towards the sacred powers at play. During this instance, Hannah finds herself conflicted on Mary’s prayer at that particular moment, noting that “for the first time in her life [Hannah] suspected how mistakenly prayer can be used” (121). Hannah’s actions reflect an independence from overwhelming spiritual guidance while remaining considerate of her servitude to the Lord. Hannah serves as one of Agee’s only positive reflections on religion in A Death in the Family. Yet, these attributes that lead Hannah to a healthy relationship with religion also lend themselves to her everyday life. Religion doesn’t expressly govern the entirety of her actions; Hannah is a calm and positive force outside of religion. Through Hannah, Agee exhibits a constructive outcome of religion. This is done through sincerity molding one’s faith, not faith falsely creating a genuine connection with God. Hannah’s presence in the novel is crucial to avoiding assumptions that religion, in and of itself, is a destructive force.The effect of religion is purely dependent on that
Hannah’s attitude towards practicing her faith shows a high veneration that she carries towards religion. Whereas Mary prays for her own benefit, for example, while waiting to hear of Jay’s fate, Hannah displays a genuine deference towards the sacred powers at play. During this instance, Hannah finds herself conflicted on Mary’s prayer at that particular moment, noting that “for the first time in her life [Hannah] suspected how mistakenly prayer can be used” (121). Hannah’s actions reflect an independence from overwhelming spiritual guidance while remaining considerate of her servitude to the Lord. Hannah serves as one of Agee’s only positive reflections on religion in A Death in the Family. Yet, these attributes that lead Hannah to a healthy relationship with religion also lend themselves to her everyday life. Religion doesn’t expressly govern the entirety of her actions; Hannah is a calm and positive force outside of religion. Through Hannah, Agee exhibits a constructive outcome of religion. This is done through sincerity molding one’s faith, not faith falsely creating a genuine connection with God. Hannah’s presence in the novel is crucial to avoiding assumptions that religion, in and of itself, is a destructive force.The effect of religion is purely dependent on that