Death Becomes Us

The various interpretations of what occurs after death, have evolved over time and thusly been expressed in various ways through young adult texts such as Scythe by Neal Shusterman, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Sabriel by Garth Nix. Although death is something more common for older people to contemplate as opposed to whimsical teenagers, these themes that are interwoven within the genre of young adult books such as the ones mentioned cannot be dismissed. Whether they are born into a world saturated with violence or a healthy balanced home, the beliefs we inherit from our environment as children define the types of adults we become. Therefore, the books that include these dark themes in books written for younger audiences are equally important as the books that are lighter in overall tone, as they provide an outlet for children who have troubling lives.

Whether death is portrayed as a physical character in the forefront or an influential character working behind the scenes, each story presents mature topics digestible for a younger audience while taking the reader on an epic journey of self-discovery. Each journey, unique and fantastic as they are, tell us that our experiences with death as brutal as they are—define who we become as adults.

Zusak uses his skillful imagery in The Book Thief to characterize the disillusionment of life that all humans suffer by voicing the cruelty of human behavior through the viewpoint of a personified version of death. The setting of the story is one that accentuates death’s presence as a backdrop observing the behavior of the characters in the forefront such as the fragile young girl Liesel. From the beginning, you couldn’t help but empathize with Liesel and her harrowing circumstances. Not too long after being introduced as the protagonist, Liesel is subjected to anguish, confusion and grief. Her response? A desperate attempt to hold onto something, anything to see her through her traumatic transition into a foster home. Zusak immediately establishes a connection with the reader in the following passage with his vivid description of grief hence drawing out our empathy.

“Still in disbelief, she started to dig. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be dead. He

couldn’t—

Within seconds, snow was carved into her skin.

Frozen blood was cracked across her hands.

Somewhere in all the snow, she could see her broken heart, in two pieces.” (Zusak, 23)

Who hasn’t felt helpless at some point in their life, a victim to circumstance as much as Liesel does above? We experience her pain with the imagery that this young girl’s heart is not only broken but laying in the ground, being buried with her brother. Following this passage, you contemplate how Liesel will move forward and process the grief for her brother when she has not been given guidance or any emotional support by her mother, or eventually her foster parents. In a place and time where the world was anything but kind, life was teaching Liesel at the tender age of nine that death will come for anyone. Often, even as adults we look to others to teach us how to process our grief; but still no one has the answer.

Another striking image, vividly described that helps the reader to not only understand the narrator but see as they do is the following:

“He'd have cried and turned and smiled if only he could have seen the book thief on her hands and knees, next to his decimated body. He'd have been glad to witness her kissing his dusty, bomb-hit lips.

Yes, I know it.” (Zusak, 242)

The time in Liesel’s life at which we are introduced to her was an intentional strategy by Zusak that would be later be confirmed through Death’s observation of not only Liesel’s life but the world in which she lives. The death of her brother, affected Liesel for not only the days immediately following but the rest of her life. We are all connected by our grief, despite our differences and above is how Zusak begins to show us that we are the same and what we all have in common is our relationship to death. “They were French, they were Jews, and they were you.” (Zusak, 350)

With that small observation alone, Death is not only pointing out how much the French and Jews have in common, but also how pointless the acts of violence taking place were. Unlike Liesel, most of us in a time of anguish have Death himself providing commentary and even analysis to our pain. As someone looking in, Death points out that regardless of how of the circumstances, humans can be equally cruel and kind at the same time. Therefore, to be human is to be both.

“A human doesn’t have a heart like mine. The human heart is a line, whereas my own is a circle, and I have the endless ability to be in the right place at the right time. The consequence of this is that I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.” (Zusak, 491)

Zusak doesn’t solely rely on Death to provide answers to the tough questions but also uses him as a tool for foreshadowing. Liesel’s choices or lack thereof are not the driving forces of her life, because life for her is an omnipotent force that has removed her freedom to choose. If at any point, Liesel had more than one choice—they were not favorable to choose from. Death is the mirror held up to humanity and he is repulsed by our wickedness.

‘A SMALL PIECE OF TRUTH

I do not carry a sickle or scythe.

I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold.

And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me

from a distance. You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find

yourself a mirror while I continue.” (Zusak, 307)

By the story’s completion, one cannot help but conclude that the cruelty inflicted on humans in life is unmatched by the mercy of death. And where else in history would this evidence be found than in Nazi-occupied Germany? “It’s probably fair to say that in all the years of Hitler’s reich, no person was able to serve the Führer as loyally as me.” (Zusak, 491)

The actions that took place in Liesel’s life were a requirement for not only her character arc, but to bring value to a life that came full circle. Regardless of her choices, violence surrounded her and defined not only how she lived but what she revered: books and books full of life.

I remember sitting in Sunday School and thinking: “All of this is a crock”. I wasn’t much younger than Liesel when we first met her in The Book Thief, I had questions about life and death fueled by my overactive imagination and delight in the horror genre. Despite my overactive imagination, everything I learned about God, sin and especially The Old Testament I found incredibly obtuse. Yet, somehow, someway in second grade, I stumbled across Bram Stokers Dracula in the school library and everything changed. As I checked out, the librarian’s eyebrows furrowed and her eyes crossed.

“Ashley, do you know what this book is about?”

“Vampires.”

“Do you know what vampires are?”

“Yea. They suck your blood.”

The librarian frowned then forced me to read from multiple chapters and explain to her what I thought it meant. Essentially, she was testing my reading comprehension. After providing her analysis for multiple excerpts, the librarian was exasperated and had no choice but to let me check out the book.

I had read age-appropriate books about spooky subjects such as ghosts, witches and vampires before, but Dracula was on another level. This book was a reflection on what a human being could become if he were unable to die, to live forever. Although I was able to comprehend what I was reading, to understand the isolation of Dracula and his choices made as a character who was immortal, is colored by experience that comes with age.

The Bible stated you could only live forever if you accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and savior; at least that’s what the ministers said. As I had yet to understand the point of death, or why it was so cruel, at eight years old this book served as an innovative teacher. A teacher of ideas and more importantly this: one book such as The Bible that presents lists of commands or comments about death are not the definitive answer to my questions. The biggest question I can recall, and one have today: why did a being that’s actually dead need blood (life) to survive? Not just Dracula but it seemed that even in death we are holding onto some force of life to prevent becoming stagnant.

“But here the place was small and close, and the long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul.” (Stoker, 257)

When we stop evolving, we cease to be an active participant in our life. While others have new experiences, we remain stagnant; in a permanent state of death.

In reality, death is what ties each and every person together in life, regardless of personal views because we all will inevitably have to face our own at some point; it is the invisible passenger that travels with us from birth, it defines our actions in life and how we perceive the world.

My first memory of my cousin Carrie, just like the diary entries from Dracula, has faded over time, however what has never faded is the way she me made me feel: cherished, loved and accepted. My young mind could barely grasp the idea of illness, disease or being born with a condition that could determine the length of your life, but after completing Dracula I began to understand the finite length to life; that we did not live forever and that’s what made it fiction. Dracula, as mentioned previously, was a teacher and foreshadowing into my own life and what was to come before I could understand what it all meant.

Carrie understood what it felt like to be “different” from your family or peers. Without my permission, children would often grab my hair as if they were petting exotic animals in a petting zoo or worse accuse me of being adopted.

Once I understood more that Carrie had down-syndrome and what that meant, I would use her as my decoy to get into mischief. Carrie couldn’t be fooled; as soon as caught on that I was trying to get away with something I was specifically told not to do, she would inform the nearest adult. Looking back, I know now Carrie was simply looking out for me in life, as she would in death. For Carrie, death was always too near but you wouldn’t know it by the joy she created in everyone’s presence.

It took years following Carrie’s death, for me to grasp the permanence of it all even though I understood it. I was in shock. None of the religious teachings in Sunday school or various church sermons, resolved the static I heard ringing in my ears constantly. This inability to overcome the shock and the why fueled my fascination with the macabre and supernatural. At eight years old. I already believed in ghosts, but even with that belief what was true death? I wondered.

If one were born into a world like Neal Shusterman’s Scythe, there would be the following rules of command:

1. Thou shalt kill.

2. Thou shalt kill with no bias, bigotry, or malice aforethought.

3. Thou shalt grant an annum of immunity to the beloved of those who accept your coming, and to anyone else you deem worthy.

4. Thou shalt kill the beloved of those who resist.

5. Thou shalt serve humanity for the full span of thy days, and thy family shall have immunity as recompense for as long as you live.

6. Thou shalt lead an exemplary life in word and deed, and keep a journal of each and every day.

7. Thou shalt kill no scythe beyond thyself.

8. Thou shalt claim no earthly possessions, save thy robes, ring, and journal.

9. Thou shalt have neither spouse nor spawn.

10. Thou shalt be beholden to no laws beyond these (Shusterman, 67)

In Neal Shusterman’s Scythe the age of mortality is one of the past. Aging is a choice, as people can live forever and have their consciousness stored in an omniscient cloud. When people die by mistake, at a steep cost they can be resurrected with nanite technology. However, everyone doesn’t die by mistake in this society free from any form of structured government. In a world where mortality was a concern of the past, religion has completely disintegrated and replaced by what exactly? Scythe is that answer. How does Shusterman express this? Through his epic world-building.

Although the passage above is on page 67, these commandments written in the same sense of “The Ten Commandments” from The Bible re-emphaize what we have already learned by that point through the narrative of both protagonists. Religion has been replaced by intellectualism; laws and societal norms have been re-written for a system where people no longer die, unless gleaned by designated scythes. With the absence of religion, how is morality defined? And does life hold the same value in a society where death is obsolete?

“The Thunderhead gave us a perfect world. The utopia that our ancestors could only dream of is our reality.” (Shusterman, 54)

However, the perfect world is not what it appears to be. Immortality has re-defined life and how it is valued.

“My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.” (Shusterman, 388)

Throughout Scythe, we see numerous situations where every human regards life differently than we do in current society; it is no longer precious or cherished because you can hit the reset button at any time. For example, there is a scene in which Citra is forced by Scythe Curie to visit a girl, she intentionally murdered that was originally ruled as an accident. Citra is conflicted and embarrassed by having to admit her actions to the victim, who since has been revived.

After arriving at her home, and admitting her cruel behavior, the victim, shrugs off the admission and goes about her day. As a result, Citra is scarred not only her own actions but the victim’s nonchalance. This is Shusterman’s excellent method of exemplifying the idea that empathy itself dissolved with mortality.

With the absence of modern religion, including Christianity, one religious group is mentioned in Scythe that are used as a form of symbolism. Citra is tasked with informing a remaining family member of his sister’s death following a gleaning. This same remaining family member belongs to the one remaining religious group called Tonists. The tonists are a combination of premortal faiths.

“Everyone knew that this so-called religion was just a hodgepodge of mortal age faiths slapped together into a troubling mosaic. Yet somehow there were people who found that strange ideological mosaic to be enticing.” (Shusterman, 223)

Within the first read of the chapter Citra visits the tonists, I almost find the scene unnecessary. However, this scene is Shusterman’s stealthy way of continuing his world-building despite how far we are in the novel.

“So you worship darkness.”

“No,” he said. “That’s a common misconception. People use that to vilify us. What we

worship are the wavelengths and vibrations that are beyond the limits of human sight. We

believe in the Great Vibration, and that it will free us from being stagnant.”

Stagnant.” (Shusterman, 227)

In the excerpt above, I think here Shusterman has solidified the rules of the world of Scythe but also alludes to the following idea: With the creation of immortality, life loses its fervor, zeal and humans themselves have become stagnant. Life remains valuable when it cannot be easily replicated by technology . Humans often grieve more assiduously for those who die young and reflect on all that someone could have accomplished if they simply had more time. Maybe those who die young are the ones whose lives are simply more precious.

Calm, classy and cool was the attitude Aaliyah at only fifteen years old exuded in her music video “Back and Forth”. The first time I saw the music video at nine-years old, it is difficult to put into words how enamored I became. Many talented, African-American singers had come before and graced the radio, stage and televisions with their creative abilities. But I always felt like the odd girl out and Aaliyah didn’t have to wear flashy or sexy clothes. I could see myself in Aaliyah and I could see myself striving to grow into my own version of someone who was comfortable and confident in their own skin.

“It’s in how you carry yourself. I’ve always been a very mature person, and I’ve always known what I wanted. And I go after it no matter what.” (Aaliyah, Citation “Quotes.” Aaliyah, www.aaliyah.com/quotes/)

By the time I turned 15, the same age Aaliyah was when she made her musical debut, she had gone on to star in one motion picture, filming her second and released her third solo album. Even with her commercial success, she emanated a humbling grace that reflected an inner peace rarely seen in Hollywood. At home, I was struggling with my identity as I was about to enter my sophomore year of high school. I had received above average grades, but my freshman English teacher had repeatedly pressed me about considering college and thinking about the big picture.

“People are gonna look up to me because I'm young, black, and female.” (Aaliyah, http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/aaliyahuniverse/vibe.html)

I believed in her and her words, especially during one of her final interviews in which she stated: “Everything is worth it. The hard work, the times when you’re tired, the times where you’re a bit sad… In the end, it’s all worth it because it really makes me happy. There’s nothing better than loving what you do.” (Aaliyah, https://www.aaliyah.com/quotes/)

I had dreams, and I had goals. There wasn’t one black face in my family that I could look to for positive reinforcement, but the connection I felt to my idol inspired me that I could be more than just a reflection of how white family members had treated me my entire life.

Despite starting as what looked like a standard career for an R&B singer, Aaliyah had exceeded all expectations, broke records crossed barriers that few did. I came from an abusive, unstable home with little to no encouragement, and her progress inspired me despite the odds stacked against me. I believed in myself because I believed in Aaliyah.

“It is dark in my favorite dream. Someone is following me. I don't know why. I'm scared. Then, suddenly, I lift off. Far away. How do I feel? As if I am swimming in the air. Free. Nobody can reach me. Nobody can touch me. It's a wonderful feeling.” (Aaliyah, NZ Herald - Breaking news, latest news, business, sport and ...)

The morning of August 26th, 2001, just weeks before September 11th I woke to find Aaliyah was all over the news. It wasn’t due to her brand-new album that was climbing the charts, mention of a new film she had joined or that hot new music video. She had died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. When I heard the news for the first time, the same shadow that had never left my side after Carrie died became much more visible again. The information kept circling through my mind, and the shock derailed me. Accepting her fate didn’t feel natural nor did it make any sense. The more information that was released, the more illogical it all seemed.

Whether someone would be surprised at your death or not, could that change how you engaged in the world?

Such a question was answered in Garth Nix’s Sabriel.

“I am only eighteen years old on the outside,” she said, touching her palm against her breast with an almost wistful motion. “But I first walked in Death when I was twelve. I encountered a Fifth Gate Rester when I was fourteen, and banished it beyond the Ninth Gate. When I was sixteen I stalked and banished a Mordicant that came near the school. A weakened Mordicant, but still . . . A year ago, I turned the final page of The Book of the Dead. I don’t feel young anymore.” (Nix, 542 Kindle)

Death came in the form of a magician or better known as a necromancy right, however he could raise the dead as easily as he could take it. The world that was built within Sabriel is one of two distinct worlds: The Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. It didn’t strike me how different these two worlds were until Sabriel herself, saw a bus pass her by in Ancelstierre. Like Shusterman, Nix has a knack for world-building. I became so entranced with the abilities of an eighteen-year old girl, the daughter of a necromancer, I didn’t realize that the world was being revealed in pieces with each step of progression Sabriel took.

As the story progresses, it becomes clear that these two worlds could be metaphors for the conscious and subconscious or life and the afterlife. The Old Kingdom one full of magic, necromancy (the ability to raise the dead) and one where dark entities can literally venture and the magic to banish them becomes more ineffective the further you travel away from the same kingdom that inhabits them. What accentuates the feeling one might have while traveling through this kingdom, is the imagery which in effect suggests that The Old Kingdom is a metaphor for our subconscious, a place where things such as magic are possible. Ancelstierre is the waking world, reality, where those who haven’t died remain in the wake of no magic and no place where you can raise the dead, much akin to the real world.

“It was snowing lightly on the Old Kingdom side, and the wind channeled occasional snow-flakes through the gate into Ancelstierre, where they melted on the warmer ground of the south.” (Nix, 593 of Kindle)

In this passage, the reader can visualize but also feel the environment. Why is this important? Because Sabriel has a message for its audience, and it’s all in the subtext. This is not the last time that the cold temperatures of winter are mentioned either, and the timing of each is intentional. Winter is the time where animals hibernate, plants die, and days are shortened. So why tell a story in such a bleak season? Unlike The Book Thief or Scythe, Sabriel is about the possibilities after death—living after death as Sabriel was resurrected as a dead infant. However, winter is the end of life whereas spring is about re-birth. Often, the descriptions of corpses that Sabriel comes across are similar to how the cold, dead earth is described. By constantly reminding the reader that it is winter, Nix is also telling us the world in which Sabriel walks in is dead. The question becomes, is Sabriel’s journey about wrestling with the internal decisions we make in our subconscious? Or is her path one where she becomes defined by the physical manifestations of death?

“Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?’ Sabriel quoted, the words, redolent with echoes of Charter Magic, twining around her tongue like some lingering spice.” (Nix, 562 of Kindle)

In addition to the fact that Sabriel is the daughter of a necromancer, this a story about meeting your fate and facing it.

…...“I am sorry for that,” said the Colonel, then, almost as if he had surprised himself, “Ah, I mean that I wish you some of the foolish joys my daughter has—some of the lightness, the lack of responsibility that goes with youth. But I don’t wish it if it will weaken you in the times ahead. You have chosen a difficult path.” (Nix, 562 of Kindle)

The combination of both the recurring theme of winter, death and coming of age results in the elements of a young woman, Sabriel, who herself is defined by death. The magic and magical events that take place represent the unknown of what we do not know about death and can only be speculated upon.

Sabriel’s choices are daunting and as costly as the sacrifices we make in adulthood, that age us by the process. Sabriel’s second death in the end of Sabriel may have seemed redundant to some, however without this second and final death, the life she led and actions she took throughout the duration of the novel would have been invalidated; Sabriel rose to the choices she was dealt because in life we often have no choice when born into hardship.

With all the hard truths presented, Nix still provides us beautiful images and sounds that paint over the dark tones of the plot.

“Touchstone watched the rings roll through the dust, silver flashing in the moonlight. They hit Sabriel’s side, but she didn’t pick them up….Her sword loomed above her, blade and hilt casting the moonshadow of a cross upon her face.” (Nix, 4631 of Kindle)

It was a chance, maybe an accident that I met Nichole. One Saturday evening plans of mine were cancelled. A friend that I often housesat for asked if I wanted to join him and his friend Nichole for dinner.

When we arrived at Nichole’s house, she opened the door with an ease of confidence I had rarely seen since moving to the East Coast a few years before. That evening we were going to see “Inglourious Basterds” by Quentin Tarantino which was a violent, but entertaining fictionalized re-telling of World War Two. Looking back, there was a moment we both knew what we were watching was sensationalized violence, however it was cathartic just the same. During one intensely gruesome scene, Nichole leaned over and said: “He should not be walking amongst us.” I chuckled because I knew she was right.

That was just the beginning of our friendship that became a kinship resembling sisterhood. One of the assumptions I had made, was what I thought would be her extreme judgement of me. Why? I was twenty-three and living at home with parents whom reminded me daily that I had nothing to offer, because I had no notable achievements to advertise to the world. Nichole, who moved out of her own parents house at sixteen years old, had numerous achievements at thirty-seven years old. When I was around her though, the only differences between us was age and experience.

Unsurprisingly, Nichole became the career guide, dating coach and psychiatrist rolled into one; she became my big sister. If any time there was anything remotely negative going on in my life that ranged from “not that big of a deal” to “this is the end of the world, somebody better call Buffy” she knew exactly what to do and say. At the same time, Nichole was not afraid to show her vulnerability.

It was a little over a year later, she informed me in Tarantino speak: “Billy’s back.” As in, we had to Kill Bill; kill the cancer. This time, despite her enthusiasm. I felt the nearness of death again, as I had before. One year later, weighing less than ninety pounds, my surrogate older sister turned guardian angel passed.

Despite the plot differences, backgrounds of characters or overall goal of the heroines for The Book Thief, Scythe and Sabriel, each asked questions such as: Is death simply a mirror to humanity? Does life end at true death? Can we die before our bodies do? Can we live after our bodies have died? Is it only physical or can we die before our bodies do? Does life hold the same sanctity once we embrace immortality? Each of the questions are answered by one text or all, but all novels remind us that our lives are something to live out dreams, passions and that time in it’s cruelty will always run out. They provide hope for those who have lived challenging lives and often have asked why me?

Each story provides hope with timeless imagery, foreshadowing and empathetic characters that draw upon their courage countless times to survive the impossible.

The Book Thief reminded us that at any age, death can loom over our lives and surround us with his cape of darkness. Scythe was a reminder that life should be viewed as sacred, regardless of one’s personal ideology or religious beliefs. Sabriel dared to explore the unknown realms of life after death as a literal realm that could be crossed into physically. These exploration of ideas and what if’s are integral to all children and teenagers formation of identity, and more importantly the choice to decide who they are. Once you can not only ask these questions, but provide your own answers, you cannot deny your inner self.The quotes below, are ones that stood out due to their nature and specific moments in times of my life they took me back. The quotes below, were echoes of nightmares from my past or feelings I had in actual experiences.

“The girl, however, stayed.

Her knees entered the ground. Her moment had arrived.” (Zusak, )

“I want words at my funeral. But I guess that means you need life in your life.” (Zusak, )

“With nothing to really aspire to, life had become about maintenance. Eternal maintenance.

Could she possibly find greater purpose in the gleaning of human life? The answer was a resolute “No!”

But if that were the case, then why did she find it so hard to sleep?” (Shusterman, )

“Live, Abhorsen, live…”

“Suddenly, she did have the strength. Enough to crawl, wade and fall back up the river, and gingerly edge back into Life, her shining escort dropping back at the very last.” (Nix, 4653 of Kindle)

“One of them—perhaps her father—lightly touched her hand in the instant before she left the realm of Death behind.” (Nix, 4653 of Kindle)

Death surrounds us constantly, and often comes at surprising times. However, without the involvement of the dark, there would be no light. Without the cruelty, there possibly might not be kindness or the ability to cherish the moments of life worth living. And what is a childhood, if it is not one filled with dreams? Dreams, that fuel us to live out a wonderful life, that can help us welcome Death when he arrives on our doorstep.

Works Cited

Shusterman, Neal. Scythe. Simon & Schuster BFYR, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2016.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Alfred A. Knopf Pub., 2006.

Nix, Garth. Sabriel. Allen & Unwin, 2014.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Constable & Robinson Limited. 2014.

John Farley, Christopher. Aaliyah: More Than a Woman. MTV Books. 2013.

NZ Herald. “Dead Pop Singer's Scary Premonition.” NZ Herald, NZ Herald, 30 Aug. 2001, www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=212850.

Angelfire, www.angelfire.com/rnb/aaliyahuniverse/vibe.html.

https://www.aaliyah.com/quotes/