Death is an inevitable part of the human experience, and a fact of life that everyone must sooner or later accept. Many children witness death at a young age with the passing of a pet, an elderly family member, or family friend. Of course there are unfortunate cases in which children experience the loss of a parent, sibling, or peer. Despite an awareness of death and perhaps even experiences with death, young children do not fully comprehend the nature of human mortality. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is not until around age twelve that adolescents begin to understand that death is permanent, that it can occur at any age, and that they too will one day die.
As young adults are undergoing this change in their comprehension of death, it is fitting that mortality is a prevalent theme in young adult literature. Specifically, in literature dealing with intergenerational relationships, a young adult character may deal with the death of an older character who is significant in his or her life. Often, this death results not only in grief for the individual loss, but also as a realization and acceptance of the character’s own mortality, and a change in his or her perspective on life.
Literature on the Theme
The books reviewed here are representative of the theme of Mortality; this is not a comprehensive list. Novels are listed alphabetically by authors’ last names.
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Little, Brown, 2007; 240 pages
Sherman Alexie’s first YA novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is the story of teenaged Junior, who is determined to improve his life by leaving his Spokane reservation to attend school, where he finds life difficult as the only Indian.
Junior’s Grandmother Spirit is unexpectedly killed by a drunk driver, a tragic event which has a strong impact not only on Junior, but on the community as well, considering “almost two thousand Indians showed up to say good-bye” (159). Grandmother Spirit’s death forces Junior to come to terms with the harsh reality that kind, selfless people can still be victims of senseless tragedy. Junior struggles to honor his grandmother’s dying wish, fighting his feelings of revenge: “my grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance…to forgive her murderer… even dead, she was a better person than us” (157). Grandmother Spirit’s actions encourage Junior, the community, and the reader to live a life of forgiveness and selflessness, even in the face of death.
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Postcards from No Man’s Land, by Aidan Chambers
Red Fox, 1999; 336 pages
The narrative of Postcards from No Man’s Land is divided between the present-day voice of Jacob, a young man visiting the Netherlands on behalf of his grandmother, and the memoirs of Geertrui, the elderly woman he is there to visit. Geertrui remembers the days she knew Jacob’s grandfather and namesake in his last days during the trials and tribulations of World War II.
Geertrui is terminally ill, and has prepared her memoirs for Jacob to read. Her recountings are of life in the Netherlands during World War II, including the deaths of many she cared about, including Jacob’s grandfather. In addition, Jacob learns Geertrui has scheduled herself to be euthanized, a controversial topic that he must learn to deal with. In marked contrast, the author has integrated scenes of youth living the high life, making plans for the future, and thinking about what legacies they will leave behind. In short, Postcards leaves readers pondering life and death.
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A Step from Heaven, by An Na
Front Street, 2001; 156 pages
When Young Ju and her family leave Korea to settle in the United States—or Mi Gook, as they call it—Young Ju is angry because her grandmother, Halmoni, does not go with them. But Halmoni explains to Young Ju: “Mi Gook is only for young people to have a new start…Not for old people who are used-up dry fish bones” (23). The image of her grandmother alone in their house in Korea deeply saddens the four-year old Young Ju, who dreams of seeing her grandmother again. In America, Young Ju struggles to learn a new culture and language, while her parents labor in multiple jobs—dishwashing, gardening and office cleaning—to provide for the family and to save towards buying a house. At the age of twelve, before the family has been able to return to Korea for a visit, Young Ju receives the news that her grandmother has passed away. Like many children and young adults, the death of her grandmother is Young Ju’s first encounter with death. But it is Young Ju who must comfort her unstable and abusive father, not the other way around. Along with shouldering responsibilities particular to immigrant children, such as translating and filling forms for her parents, the death of Young Ju’s grandmother becomes yet another moment during which she must grow up faster than other children.
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Push, by Sapphire
Alfred A. Knopf, 2009; 140 pages
Precious is starting to turn her life around despite the violently abusive childhood and adolescence she has known, only to discover, at the age of sixteen, that she is HIV-positive. Just as she is beginning to gain a new purchase on her life, Precious is forced to confront the prospect of her own death. This blow is intensified by her anxiety over the future of her newborn son, Abdul. With the support of her teacher, Ms. Rain, and a surrogate family of her peers, also troubled teens, Precious begins to attend a support group for HIV-positive girls. She finds a reason to live in the present, and accept the uncertain future, when her son tests negative for HIV, leading her to realize that there is a god—not a religious god, but the god in all of us: “I see those men in vacant lot share one hot dog and they homeless, that’s as good as Jesus with his fish. I remember when I had my daughter, nurse nice to me—all that is god” (139).
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Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi
Pantheon, 2003; 160 pages
Persepolis details Marji’s coming-of-age during the peak of the Islamic Revolution, and reveals the stark contrast between the public portrayal of Iranian life and the reality of the situation. The story is told through the eyes of rebellious Marji, whose experiences are exciting, tragic, and comical—from riots and revolution to secrets, torture, and death.
Death plays a very large role in Persepolis, as Marji is all too familiar with the devastating effects of the Islamic Revolution as well as the war with Iraq. Marji experiences the loss of her neighbors, friends, and classmates. While she recognizes these deaths as unfortunate, it is not until the loss of her beloved Uncle Anoosh, who was executed on suspicion of being a Russian spy, that she truly understands the gravity of death. The loss of such a strong relationship represents Marji’s transition from a hopeful youth to a broken, lost young adult.
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Between Heaven and Earth, by Eric Walters
Orca Book Publishers, 2012; 245 pages
Seventeen-year-old DJ is the eldest of his deceased grandfather’s grandsons. When the will is read, the family discovers there is a seventh grandson no one else knew about, and each grandson is given a separate mission to accomplish. Eric is sent to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and scatter his grandfather’s ashes from the top. Starting off with full confidence, DJ soon finds that success will require all of his strength and endurance, and that he must learn to rely on others. Tricked into demanding Sarah, the teenage daughter of his guide, be hired as one of the porters, DJ finds himself isolated from the disapproving locals, not only because it is Sarah’s first time on the mountain and she has not yet proven herself, but mainly because she is a woman. DJ is left only with Sarah and Doris, an elderly woman, for traveling companions.
Several dangerous close-call experiences bring DJ to contemplate his own mortality. The death of his grandfather also affected DJ, particularly when he recalled memories demonstrating how full of life is grandfather was.
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The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
Harper Trophy, 1963; 166 pages
The Pigman is written from the points of view of John and Lorraine, high school sophomores re-telling the story of their brief friendship with an old man. They befriend Mr. Pignati after calling his home as a practical joke. Surprised by his kindness and generosity towards them, and without intending harm, they find themselves taking advantage of him and possibly causing his death.
Death is a prominent theme throughout the novel: Lorraine’s mother is a nurse and cares for dying patients, John and Lorraine use a cemetery as their escape to drink and talk, Mr. Pignati is in denial of the death of his wife, he watches the violent death of his favorite baboon at the zoo, and eventually dies himself. Mr. Pignati’s death has a strong impact on both John and Lorraine, and it causes them to take responsibility for their actions and assess the way that they, as well as the people around them, value life.
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Other themes: Learning, Knowledge and Wisdom // Unconditional Love // Legacy // Collective Memory