The Management Of Grief Bharati Mukherjee Analysis
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The Management of Grief written by the author “Bharati Mukherjee” illuminates various themes and ordeals after the terrorist bombing of an Air India plane on June 23, 1985, which killed all 329 passengers and crew members. The story focuses on Shaila Bhave and how her community copes and struggles with the death of their family through a series of unfortunate events. The tragedy was a traumatic experience which paved the way as a psychological impact in the form of grief which was evident throughout the story. The narrator and the members of her community endured the relentless crusade from Judith Templeton who represented a form of the Canadian government, which refused to accept responsibility in the initial stages of disaster. Even though…show more content… The culture of the Eastern and Western philosophy regarding the “manner” of grieving will be assessed with reference to Management of Grief. Firstly, the cultural beliefs and philosophies that each hemisphere embraces, shows how people of different culture orientation cope with grieving, for instance according to Brison, Karen J and Stephen C. Leavitt. “Coping with Bereavement: Long-Term Perspectives on Grief and Mourning.” Ethnos 23.4 (1995): 395- 400. Print. Everyone is from a specific background and culture, thus they have their own way to grieve and deal with tragedy. The “tea” symbolized a form of bonding and encouragement within the community, as they needed each other. In the case of Kusum, she turns to her swami (Hindu priest) who helps her deal with her loss in a spiritual manner, which allows…show more content… After going through the stages of denial and depression, Shaila then returns to India for six months and is conflicted between the Indian and the Canadian culture. She says that “I am trapped between two modes of knowledge. I am thirty six years old; I am too old to start over and too young to give up.”Like my husband, I flutter between worlds” (Mukherjee 425). During this ordeal, she is caught between depression and acceptance stage of grief. She finally accepted that they are gone; she does not know how to start over without them. After seeing her husband while praying in the temple, Shaila returns to Canada to rebuild her life. In her final encounter with her family she heard the voices which said “ your time has time come, Go and be brave” (Mukherjee 430). This is her final message which meant that whether it was subconscious or she envisioned her family her journey to start a new chapter had begun and in order to fufil what her husband and sons would want , which is for Shaila to accept and not dwell in the past and to rebuild her life. Shaila in some ways differs from many of the characters in the story because from the audience perceptive, we can reach a conclusion about Shaila’s final