In James Patterson’s thriller novel, I, Alex Cross, Alex Cross and his family living in the nation’s capital must solve a beloved niece’s murder, and uncover the truth about the power players of the country -- all while nurturing the growing wound of the loss of a family member. The idea and importance of the connection between loss and familial support and love runs through the entire story, and one key lesson suggests that no matter how the loss of a family member affects the family, the results will often be similar, if not the same: the remaining members strive to support one another and often work together to find the true reason for the loss, always leading to a better and brighter future for everyone. The loss of a close friend or family …show more content…
This is also often the next step after a severe loss in a family, evolving from the ‘recovery period.’ In the middle of the book, Alex becomes aware of his larger and larger isolation from the rest of his family. From this, he seems to try to change his actions; becoming less agitated and irate, but changing to just becoming focused on solving Caroline’s murder. “It didn’t take long for Tony Nicholson to start talking a blue streak about the club and the blackmail scheme after that. I’d seen it so many times before, the way suspects will start competing with each other once they sense the ground is shifting. To hear him tell it, Mara Kelly had set up the entire back end: Asian underground banking, public key cryptography -- everything they needed to stay out of reach for as long as they had.” (page 210) Alex begins to completely forget about ‘taking out his rage’ or ‘getting revenge’ to just solving his niece’s case and giving the rest of his family some closure. To achieve this, however, Alex slowly begins to seek more and more help from the rest of his family. “You’re going to be just fine, she had said to me. Maybe not quite the same, but still, just fine. You’re a police officer. She was right, of …show more content…
No matter how close or distant they were, it always hits hard -- every single time. However, as Patterson vividly illustrates in I, Alex Cross, there is light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel of loss. Through pushing and surging together forward past the pain and darkness of a recent loss, a family can start anew, experiencing the birth of a clean slate, of new beginnings, and of second
The loss of a family member is always hard to deal with and it affects everyone differently. Some people are open about their feelings and others bottle them up. In terms of relationships within a family, usually the closest is between the parent and child. When this relationship is cut short or is nonexistent because of a loss it can be especially devastating. The loss of a family member does not always refer to an actual physical loss, but can also refer to an emotional distance put between two people. In “The Shawl” by Louise Erdrich, there is an example of a physical loss and its effects on the family, while in “Bone Black” by Bell Hooks the loss shown is of the emotional kind and it's aftermath. It is interesting to view these stories side by side, as they showcase how both types of loss effect the family.
Yet, Alex is the one that would panic if he acted upon the truth of his life. He becomes so obsessed with protecting what he believes to be his mother’s ideology that he becomes part of the system he has created: in living a certain way, his consciousness has come to believe it as well. He knows that without his input and work, the system he has created will fall apart. Yet instead of letting it fall apart once it becomes too difficult, he comes up with more and more creative lies to keep it in place. His mind’s inability to let go of something that everyone else is telling him is pointless, and is pointless once his mother knows the truth, shows Alex’s inability to realize that his ideology that he has formed is his alone, and that he is a subject of it just as much as his mother is.
Starting off with the first essay, Carol's upbringing was sated with family support. Not only from her parents, but also her cousins, uncles, and grandparents emitted a sense of “security in every pair of arms.” (175) Her culture taught families the importance of being the comfy mattress that would catch those who messed up. The stepping stone that invigorates to accomplish their dreams. Thus, like teenagers and cellphones, her family was inseparable.
“Every part of my body hurts. Except my heart. I saw no one, but, strange as it was, I missed no one” (Strayed 70). This takes a turn of events. “Every part of my body hurts, except my heart,” gives new meaning and how Strayed manages to gain emotional stability in the wake of her mothers’ death, and illness. This shows great strength in regards that she rises above the obstacles thrown in her path--the feeling of what it means to be alive. This work invites and informs the reader of the many ways one can cope with loss; moreover, Strayed demonstrates what what may work for everyone--the method of sublimation.
Resilience is necessary to keep families together in tough times. Jeannette answers, ‘“No one’s neglecting us,’” when asked by the child welfare agent about her family (Walls 193). She does not tell him that they are neglecting her because she wants to keep the family together. She grows up with them and does not want to give them up even if her parents, Rex and Rose-Mary, have not provided a very stable and supportive life. After her younger sister, Maureen, leaves for California, Jeanette says, “something in all of us broke that day, and afterward, we no longer had the spirit for family gatherings” (Walls 277). They no longer feel that sense of family and togetherness that had kept them as a family; they always fought back when difficulties arose. Maureen’s
Death is a difficult reality to face, especially when it concerns a loved one, and the way in which individuals approach their grief can critically affect how they move through the healing process. In James Baldwin’s Notes of A Native Son, Baldwin’s father dies and Baldwin approaches this loss through a multitude of complex emotional reactions. Like Baldwin, many individuals deal with the loss of someone close to them through a variety of coping mechanisms, such as ignoring the reality of the situation, clinging to emotional responses like devastation or outrage, and eventually experiencing relief and emotional rest.
Memories never die and stories live on forever. Foer takes us through a journey of tragedy and healing through the eyes of three individuals to teach us all a lesson on how people truly deal with loss. In this novel, it all boils down to how they let it define them and when they are able to embrace it. They truly will “Never Forget” as their stories live on in their writing and impact the lives of others. Everyone experiences death and loss at some point. Foer shows people everywhere to embrace it and accept it into their lives. Let the legacy of loved ones live on. One of the biggest challenges in life is to journey through grief and to heal. Whether you let it consume you, hide it, or embrace it, it is and always will be, a fact of life.
dealt with and the individual moves on. Susan Philips and Lisa Carver explored this grieving
Some changes in life are inevitable such as the aging process and death. Any day can be one’s last day walking or breathing, and for some the object of letting go of someone held for so long is tragic. It may even seem like the deceased person is still alive and everything is operating as normal or that it was all a big dream. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose For Emily” the idea of Emily Grierson letting go of the only man she’s ever loved and cherished, in her father, leaves her torn apart. Looking to fill the fresh wound inside her heart, Emily sought desperate measures to ensure that the next man she loved would never leave her.
In the story “The Beginnings of grief” Adam Haslett’s protagonist demonstrate the power that grief can have in a person 's life, and one may find comfort in pain and violent encounters with another human being while one is gathering the strength to survive.
Throughout her piece she discusses her personal struggles and successes while weaving in informative bits of data. Both Grisham and O’Rourke effectively balance emotional appeals, character, and rationale trying to move their readers from a condition of lack of care to compassion, and maybe even to action.
All in all, the emotions one feels from the death of a loved one can either make or break one’s relationships. Through various characters, the author further demonstrates the possible ways a person can react to adversity, and how their decisions and character influence their relationships. The ability to maintain relationships through adverse situations reveals the internal strength and determination in the person’s character.
At some point in people’s lives, individuals experience loss: whether it means losing a pet, a relative, a friend, a personal belonging, etc. This loss provokes a sense of vulnerability and plays into the process of mourning. In the nonfictional novel, Precarious Life, by Judith Butler, following the events of 9/11, she brings awareness to the issue of politics and censorship and how it affects people’s view on the value of human life. Specifically, in her chapter, Violence, Mourning, Politics, Butler discusses how loss and vulnerability plays an important role in preserving the world’s humanity, especially during times with so much violence and destruction. This relation between mourning and violence is portrayed through devices such as repetition
...have the most robust connections alive. They also have the intimacy, influence, design, impact and carving tools to carve us. The family itself can control and change our views on society, influence how we view the family unit, and yet most of all impact our everyday choices. There is nothing the family couldn’t possibly do. Anne Frank, Kino, Mourad, The Scieszka brothers, and the brother in family are divine exemplar for us to see the way a family can sway. Since the drive of the family is the second influential component of life, love is the first. Yet we fail to see that the family is the love, it doesn’t matter if they’re poor, if they’re trapped, or even throwing up on each other, this is the strongest love in the world. People move on, but they always remember the family. The family is wolf pack, everyone des there own thing, but they always remain together.
Throughout a person’s life, there are constant problems, struggles and stress that have always disturbed and changed a somewhat normal, peaceful life. When things are going well, one event could possibly change the whole course of a nice day, week, month or even year. The only thing that stands between people and a complete breakdown from these situations is the family and friend relationships that are established. Being constantly comforted, cared and amused by family and friends is one reason that my confidence and character has been built (Rubio 1). Jackie Karp, the writer of the poem “Family, The Center of My World”, writes about her loved ones, “You are the meaning of strength at its highest peak. You have courage when the rest of us are weak” (Karp 1). In the toughest situations, family and friends encourage others that need help getting back on their feet.