The Social Convention Of Death In Literature :: essays research papers fc

Our environment dictates how we live our lives and how we handle situations. Our environment also dictates how the people around us handle our death. Death is iodin important social convention of a society depicted in The Call of the Wild, Garden Party, the Great Gatsby, Bone, and Dulce Et Decorum Est. Death and the handling of death is a social convention portraying values and ways of living in two main ways respect of the body and acceptable manners to scrag such as through violence, illness, caring, etc.In the Call of the Wild, by Jack London, death is a game where survival is a tactic, down or be killed (manner of death) and the body is a trophy (respect for the body). For example, He Buck was ranging at the head of the pack, running the wild thing down, the living meat, to kill with his own odontiasis and wash his muzzle to the eyes in warm blood. (London 49). This game Buck played with the other dogs was a challenge of who will catch the snowshoe rabbit. It shows a twisted regard for life-time. Buck wanted to wash his nose in the rabbits blood to smell the kill. In this game, the only respect for life is the trophy that the body will make in death. Another example of the game is From then on, night and day, Buck never left his prey, never gave it a moments rest, never permitted it to browse the leaves of trees Nor did he give the wounded bull opportunity to slake his burning thirst in the slender trickling pour out they crossed. (London 95). Buck played with the bulls fear and he showed no mercy. He showed no respect, he gave the bull no honor and the bull in conclusion died of exhaustion, falling over, only to become Bucks prize that also fed him. For a day and a night he remained by the kill moose, eating and sleeping, turn and turn about. Then rested, refreshed and strong, (London 96). Buck nourished himself off the bull and became stronger and more resilient. To eat Buck must hunt his fodder in the uncaring wild, it was his only choice for su rvival. The game that Buck played with life did not always give respect to the dying, though this seemed necessary to his survival, with child(p) the deaths more acceptability as a source to nourish the winner of the game.