The Horse on the dinning room table - Book Report/Review Example

The Horse on the Dining Room Table Terminal illnesses are less spoken about, let alone issues to do with death and dying. Richard Kalish seeks to address the underlying personal fears in his story “The Horse on the Dining Room Table” (Kalish 139-141). The reading employs symbolism to present issues of terminal illnesses and death. Kalish uses parties and dining as a mechanism of social interaction, and then introduces the horse in that context. The horse is an aspect that many people choose to ignore although it substantially disturbs them psychologically.

People ignore the horse, and yet it remains in every aspect of their lives. In other words, they fear talking about it. This means that people are afraid of showing their concern to the terminally ill patients and those who are dying. However, the fact is that they feel obliged to take care of them and comfort them before they die. What keeps people away from doing so is the fear of death.The reading raises a critical concern for every person around the horse. All the people around the dining table and the horse include but not limited to maids, hosts, hostesses and guests (Kalish 139).

These people need to learn that avoiding talking about the horse only makes the situation worse. In other words, dying and death are part of life, and terminally ill patients understand this fact. They already know of their deteriorated health status, and ignoring that fact to avoid discomfort to either party does not change anything. It is learned from the reading that living fully encompasses embracing all aspects of life; positive and negative. Fears related to death and dying need to be confronted at a personal level, before the same pursuit is extended to clients (Kalish 141).

Works CitedKalish, Richard. “The Horse on the Dining Room Table”. Death and Dying, Life and Living. New York: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print