“Fluent Now in the Language of Grief”: The Role of Tragedy in Short Danger Fiction

1715 Words4 Pages

Tragedy plays an important role in narratives. This role is especially apparent in many short danger narratives. “The Boogeyman” by Stephen King, follows a man as he tries to deal with the tragic and mysterious deaths of his children. “Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherjee follows a woman as she tries to manage the loss of her sons and tries to help others do the same. “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried” by Amy Hempel, follows a woman spending time with her dying friend and attempting to deal with the situation. In these stories, among many others of this genre, tragedy plays a critical role in defining the story. Tragedy has become a popular device in short stories and thus must be an advantageous tool for authors. In his essay, “Interest and Truth” Gardner argues that for a narrative to work it cannot simply have meaning; it has to convey it in an interesting manner. Tragedy is an effective means of meeting both of these requirements. Tragedy satisfies the reader immediate interest by drawing him or her into the narrative while also demonstrating the importance of the author’s argument to the reader.
In these works, tragedy acts as a foundation of the story. Without tragedy these stories would not exist. “Management of Grief” focuses on Shaila’s attempts to deal with the tragic loss of her loved ones. The reader experiences how she and many others cope with the grief they feel after the tragic death of their loved ones. Some deny it, like Dr. Ranganathan who suggests that her son “could make it safely to some island. It is quite possible that there may be many, many microscopic islets scattered around,” while in reality this is an improbable possibility (Mukherjee 939). Some try to ignore it while others move on...

... middle of paper ...

...tory. It both pulls the reader in and demonstrates the significance of the story at the same time. It allows the reader to enjoy and understand both the story and its significance. It provides an outlet for the author’s argument that is also interesting. Understanding the purpose of such a large part of short narratives like tragedy helps understand how these stories work, how the authors construct them and what is the author’s intent. This helps make a step towards understanding literature in general. It may help explain why tragedy, something avoided in life, is often sought after in literature. Tragedy plays a role in all these categories since it takes such an important role in short fiction. This understanding starts with the idea of how tragedy provides an interesting means of displaying the argument and simultaneously drawing the reader into the narrative.

Open Document