Religion To Gibe Jay Rites example essay topic

The flash backs that are used in the novel that are a part of the memory of the father are filled with conflict but as shown the love between the members of the family becomes evident even with the father, despite the fact that the majority of these feelings are directed toward the church and his religions. Another example of love in the novel is the love of self as Ralph selfishly looks out only for himself as he had for many years until the point of transition for which the novel is titled. Even his tendency toward alcoholism can be considered an example of him thinking only of his own enjoyment and not the feeling of others (Critical essays in modern literature pp. 880). This is clear as even at a serious matter such as the prospect of his fathers death he does not see any reason to change from his self loving ways. However, he finds that this self love has a great consequence which leads once again to the love of family taking over as he feels it is his responsibility to perform the task of burying his brother despite the fact that the love of religion expressed in this case by the wife takes effect. But in this case once again the love of family prevails as they are able to come to an understanding and work through the differences.

Another example of love in the novel is the love between husband and wife. Going back to the dinner as the father is expressing his want to spend time with persons that his wife found repulsive which was a frequent source of disagreement among the two. This gives an example of how matters that seem to be able to destroy a family can be overshadowed by the long and lasting bond between family members. Even in times when the family members are on totally opposite sides of an issue it is revealed that the love and bound the family share are unbreakable even by personal wants, desires, and even the personal love of something else.

Truly the love of family is one of the strongest types of love, but overall love is a great force. One of the great forces that affected the story was religion, and this is present as the family has conflict with their religion and their situation as it not only relates to the death but to their lives in general. After the death of Jay it is seen that religion plays an important part in all aspects but mostly in the burial procedure. Ralph, Jays brother in a feeling of guilt decides that he should bury his brother, Mary does not want Ralph to be the undertaker because Jay's body is already being taken care of by the church, and she does not want to move it. Ralph's feelings are hurt, but he can not do anything because a widow's wishes are more important than those of the family (Critical essays in modern literature pp. 875). But in a deeper sense these wishes stem from a great sense of religion which causes Mary to over look the family tie temporarily.

And despite his feelings, Ralph respect the wishes of the widow which is yet another sign of how religion affects the actions taken by the character. Despite the fact that the matter is resolved by the bond the family eventually strengthens through the matter, it is still shown that religion is a powerful force which causes the characters to act even in way they dont want to. However the reason for why religion has such an affect is not always clear for the various characters, not even to the characters themselves. It is reasons such as concern for the soul of the dead or the concern for their own souls that compel the characters.

Even though these are not the only concerns or impressions that religion imparts they are very much at the front of the conflict and are ideas that fuel the driving forces. This of course causes the actions that are played out in the story not just between Ralph and Mary but all characters as it relates to their ties to the religious side of (Death in the Family) (Seib 876). Another example of religion in (Death in the Family) is in the case of the actual burial. As the family and church are of the catholic faith certain things are brought into play at this point of the story (Critical essays in modern literature pp. 880). As it turns out since a formal baptism was never given to Jay he could not be given the full catholic rites that Mary expected which of course where denied by father Jackson who was to give him the rites. It is expected that the father would be able to over look this detail as Jay had been a devoted member of the church.

However once again religion takes its toll on the characters actions and does not allow for the father to do the service. This of course brings in another issue is Ralph is going to do all that he can to ensure that his brother is treated right. Despite the fact that it was against the religion to gibe Jay rites it is stated by Ralph that the thing to do that would be most true to the religion would be to give rights (Seib 882). Many agree with this point as it does make sense that the Christian thing to do as Ralph puts it would be to give rites instead of leaving it undone.