Grief is a tragic and destructive process that can either bring people together or tear them apart. When struggling with the fateful death of a loved one, a family faces a labyrinth of complex challenges that alter the way they relate to each other. One character’s method of grieving can contrast another’s due to their age, experience, and personality traits. Through the introduction of life-changing events, Anita Shreve, the author of Light on Snow, illustrates how grief molds various characters and the relationships between them.
Nicky, a hopeful and searching character, grows up quickly in the midst of the grieving process. After the sudden death of her mother and sister years prior, she struggles to cope with the loss of her maternal figure and the missed opportunity of being a big sister. When Charlotte braids Nicky’s hair, Nicky reflects, “No one has touched me this way since my mother died…the drift of the fingers, is soothing and maternal” (156). She clearly longs for affection that has long been absent in her life. Nicky also reminisces on the morning before the accident, “I didn’t say goodbye…I don’t know if my sister was sleeping…I don’t even know for sure when it was I last saw Clara” (261). This represents how Nicky yearns to be a better big sister, something she failed to do the day of the grim incident. When baby Doris turns up years later, the grief of …show more content…
Anita Shreve used a life changing event to bring the two back together after the loss of their loved ones. She showed that grief is a vital process in life and the abounding ways that it affects life. This healing process made is possible for two characters to come together, stand strong, and reclaim the family they once thought was left back in New York on that fateful day. Although life may bring about adversity and challenge, it’s not about dwelling in the grief, but about moving on and standing
Nicky, a hopeful and searching character, grows up quickly in the midst of the grieving process. After the sudden death of her mother and sister years prior, she struggles to cope with the loss of her maternal figure and the missed opportunity of being a big sister. When Charlotte braids Nicky’s hair, Nicky reflects, “No one has touched me this way since my mother died…the drift of the fingers, is soothing and maternal” (156). She clearly longs for affection that has long been absent in her life. Nicky also reminisces on the morning before the accident, “I didn’t say goodbye…I don’t know if my sister was sleeping…I don’t even know for sure when it was I last saw Clara” (261). This represents how Nicky yearns to be a better big sister, something she failed to do the day of the grim incident. When baby Doris turns up years later, the grief of …show more content…
Anita Shreve used a life changing event to bring the two back together after the loss of their loved ones. She showed that grief is a vital process in life and the abounding ways that it affects life. This healing process made is possible for two characters to come together, stand strong, and reclaim the family they once thought was left back in New York on that fateful day. Although life may bring about adversity and challenge, it’s not about dwelling in the grief, but about moving on and standing