Grief (novel)
During the course of the novel, the ideas of the stages of grief are introduced. The stages are denial, anger, depression, and acceptance. The narrator, as well as other characters in the story, slowly passes through these stages in trying to deal with death.
Death education
The first stage is denial and isolation. When you first hear about a loved one who has a deathly illness your first instinct is to deny the reality of the situation. This is known as a defense mechanism because we block out the words by not fully processing them and also hide from the facts.
The second stage is anger. Once the blocking out subsides the reality of the situation becomes overwhelming and the pain from the news emerges.
The third stage is bargaining. This stage you will feel more vulnerable and helpless. In order to gain control again you'll start thinking of ways that would have made it better like:
• "If only we had sought medical attention sooner…"
• "If only we got a second opinion from another doctor…"
• "If only we had tried to be a better person toward them…"