Death is not the end, but the chance to start anew

The motif of death comes up a lot in all of the books and seems to change from a more positive outlook, to one that is dark and macabre as the books progress. Initially in Book 1, the Field puts forth the notion that death is something that should not be feared and paints death to be as comforting as a “tender hand” (Field 8) and a “warm, soft, permeable mound” (Field 8), as expressed in the “Death, men say, is like a sea” poem. This poem uses the reasoning that death help one forget their mistakes and sins that they have committed in their life, as a way to prove the gentle and welcoming nature of death. The same perceptions of death are actually first expressed in the beginning poem of the entire collection, “Mortal, if thou art beloved”, as the poem starts by stating that if “[m]ortal, if thou beloved/Life’s offences are removed” (Field 5), reinforcing the idea that death gives you a fresh start and it is not something that should be frightening. This perspective stays true for the first two books, but changes in the third.

In Book 3 and onward, there are more references to places and members in the underworld that is seen in Greek mythology. For example the poem, “Acheron”, refers to a river in Greece, but also exists in Greek mythology as it was thought to be connected to the underworld and means “River of Woe” (Acheron). The poem depicts the scene of someone guiding their loved one to death, which alludes to the mythical figure, Charon, who is a ferryman who resides in the Underworld and guides souls. The poem offers a unique view on death, which is introduced in the first line “[t]hou must not leave me!” (Field 50). This exclamation literally expresses the desire to stay with one’s partner, but also insinuates on a deeper level, a rejection of death as it is separating two lovers. The following poem, “It was deep April, and the morn”, also picks on the presence of Greek mythology rooted in death and the underworld, by including Lethe, another river in the underworld, and Charon.

The reversal of emotions towards death continues as the poems about death become more melancholy and eerie. One poem to note is, “There comes a change in her breath”, which literally describes a woman dying in her sleep, and instead of seeing the good in death, the poem roots itself in looking at the situation from losing one’s life, as seen in the lines “[o] life at ebb, O life at flow” (Field 51) and “Her life, her breath!” (Field 51). And lastly, the ending poem of the poem collection offers an interesting outlooks on the relationship between life and death through the imagery of a phoenix. Once again, there are positive imagery and emotions being attributed to death in the same way as the beginning of the collection. Like a phoenix dies and leaves its previous life and sins behind, Field asserts the same thing can be done for humans due to death.

This change is essential as it could allude to the health issues that Katharine and Edith had to struggle through, so their concept of death could have changed when getting cancer and knowing that could die and leave each other alone, which ended up happening. It is also essential to note this change in emotion towards death as it offers comfort and solace to those who are dying or have loved ones who are dead, but also does not ignore the pain and emotional turmoil that one feels from loss and death. Finally, the notion of death as a reset to start again, is the most essential, as it could be a self-comforting mechanism that Katharine and Edith developed due to their illnesses.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Acheron”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Feb. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/place/Acheron. Accessed 15 September 2021.