The Odd Sea by Fredrick Reiken - Research Paper Example

Each character uses their own mechanism of grieving, allowing them move on in different ways The Odd Sea by Fredrick Reiken is a story that clearly depicts the manner in which different people are bound to react or even mourn in the case of loss of a loved one through death. The effects of the loss are also analyzed in the manner in which different members of the family direct their lives from the point that death nocks onwards (Hugh 70). In the book, Fredrick Reiken is strategically aiming at analyzing to the reader the role that art plays in reclaiming back what death has taken away form the people. The fine story narrated in The Odd Sea comes in as source of a very obvious hint that is intended to clarify spiritual truths that are related to death and mourning. It is in this regard that this paper aims at critically analyzing the different mannerisms that are used by the different characters representing the family members in grieving the loss of their loved one. The different mannerisms that are used in mourning by the respective family members have also been critically addressed in the paper so as to clarify the reasons as to why some of the family members are not capable of moving on with their lives after the death while others are capable of moving on with their lives in different ways and extents (Hugh 29). Ethan Shumway vanishes in the novel in a very mysterious manner just in a single day and never returns back home. This is a fact that brings very huge dilemmas to the family members, a fact which results in to each of the family members reacting in a different manner. The very first character to be analyzed in regard to this particular mater is Ethan’s mother. It is very clear through the novel that she is actually the character that finds it hardest to accept the death of her son and is not ready to move on. Her mourning on the other hand is not at all short term but she is almost portrayed as keeping the memories of her son forever in her mind. This fact about Ethan’s mother leads to her not being ready to let go the fact that her son has died and is forever not going to come back home. In this light, Ethan’s mother mourns for an extended period which is more than any other family member. Fredrick Reiken portrays to the reader that such kind of prolonged mourning which interferes with the daily life of an individual can be very disastrous to the lives of the people who are left behind by the dead. This is evident after a lengthy period of five years when the mother suffers from a breakdown. “Why the girl’s unsurprising death unnerved my mother…..” (Reiken 174). This is quite a long period of time since the death of her son but she is still letting herself suffer in the course of mourning. Apart from the fact that she is suffering in terms of her health and even mental condition, the fact that she is not ready to accept the death of her son is becoming a burden to be carried by virtually all the members of the family. As a consequence of her breakdown, she is taken to hospital. This raises more problems to the other members of the family not only in terms of the financial expenses incurred at the hospital but also the psychological distractions brought about by her suffering. On the other hand, Ethan’s father reacts to the situation totally different form the way his wife has done. Although he is also suffering quietly due to the loss of his son, he appears to be mourning on a more positive point of view. He learns from the mourning that he ought to appreciate life more than he has been doing. This leads him into appreciating the fact that he is also having a privilege to be still alive hence take optimal advantage of the time that he is still having life. This is a very positive way of mourning because it can be seen that Ethan’s father is not letting death bring him down and interrupt his life, but is actually positively learning from death. He has learnt the fact that life ought to be fully utilized, a very strong lesson to be derived from the sad death of his son. In regard to the mourning method that he has taken, Ethan’s father decides to pursue even more the zest that he has in constructing timber frame houses. “The goal of seeing all those parts joined as one frame became the fuel for dad’s actions” (Reiken 78). Unlike his wife, Ethan’s father has used the death of his son to not only better his personal life but also improve the life of his family by working even harder. Ethan’s siblings happen to be in a very tough situation as they are still young hence not very much equipped to handle the fact that they have lost their brother. Amy who happens to be the most reasonable of the sisters is more like his father. “There were things I never spoke about with Halley, and sometimes Amy was the only person I could go to” (Reiken 84). She has accepted the fact that his brother is dead and has a very positive manner of mourning his death. We learn about this fact when she offers advice to her sisters that their brother is long gone away from them and is not going to come back in their lives. She therefore tells her sisters that after accepting the fact that Ethan is never going back to come in their lives physically again, the best thing for them to do is find Ethan in their hearts. Amy is portrayed as mourning in a manner that is not only bettering her life but also the lives of the other family members. She offers very positive advice to her sister, a fact that leads them into getting to appreciate better ways of mourning which are not distractive t the daily living but constructive. Melissa (Ethan’s girlfriend) and Victoria (Ethan’s mentor and the Director of a local creative arts school) tend to be dealing with the death of Ethan in the same manner. Although they are also mourning his death just like the family members are doing, they have learnt to appreciate Ethan and remember him through the art work that he already did while still alive. This is also portrayed in the novel as a very effective way of mourning as it actually does not have any negative effects to the lives of the people mourning. Melissa and Victoria are just using the art work left behind by Ethan to keep the memories that they had together and also cherish them. Throughout the novel, it becomes clear that this approach has helped the two characters accept the death of Ethan although still keeping the memories they shared close to their hearts. She even goes ahead to paint Phillip in an effort to mourn positively. “Sat again for Melissa while she painted me” (Reiken 124) Finally, Phillip who happens to be the narrator and a young 13 year old brother to Ethan is initially in denial of the fact that Ethan is dead. This lead him into concocting theories to suit his false belief that Ethan is still alive and existing somewhere. In the long run though, it is evident that he is also healing slowly from the death by the use of the journal and the timber frame cabin that he solely comes up with. The mementos belonging to Phillip are the ones he keeps in the timber frame cabin that he has constructed. The use of these two aspects in mourning the death can be seen to be more effective in delivering his innocent and naive mind from the sorrows brought about by the sudden death of his brother. As he is growing in his understanding of death, we can read that he is being more realistic with the theories he develops in an effort to explain the absence of Ethan from their lives. By saying that he believes that Ethan still exists although in a world where he can not be able to physically relate to him becomes a huge step forward in his mourning. Annotated Bibliography Hugh, Allan. Good Mourning: Getting Through Your Grief. In this briefly summarized book, Hugh explains to the reader the process of mourning and explains further what effects can come as a result of death. He identifies specific ways of mourning that can be positively used together with a relatively stable and good plan for doing so, mourning. He clearly underlines the difference between good mourning and endless suffering that can result from poor mourning. Reiken, Frederick. The Odd Sea Through a 13 year old character, Reiken narrates to the reader the main events that surround the death of a single family member in the name Ethan. The different means of mourning that are used b the different family members alongside other friends to Ethan are narrated from Phillips point of view with an analysis of the respective effects that they bring along. Work Cited Hugh, Allan. Good Mourning: Getting Through Your Grief. California: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008 Reiken, Frederick. The Odd Sea. Boston: Dell, 1999 Read More