32 pages • 1-hour read
On Death and Dying
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 8-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary: “Hope”
Through each of the various stages, one hopes for a possible cure or solution, even at the very end: “we were always impressed that even the most accepting, the most realistic patients left the possibility open for some cure, for the discovery of a new drug” (148). In the hardest days of illness and suffering, the faintest glimmer of hope gave patients a sense of meaning. For those with terminal diagnoses, it provided “a sense of a special mission in life which helps them maintain their spirits,” while for others it provided at least “a form of temporary but needed denial” (148).
When a patient seems to have given up all hope, it is often a sign that death is imminent. Outside of the patient themselves, crises in hope come in two forms: first, when loved ones and caregivers are hopeless when the patient still needs reassurance, and second, when the family can’t accept the patient’s inevitable death. As the author suggests, it would help “if more people would talk about death and dying as an intrinsic part of life just as they do not hesitate to mention when someone is expecting a new baby” (150). Death needs to become a more common topic of discussion if it is ever going to be handled with care, sensitivity, and frankness.
Summing up the main purpose of the book, the author speaks about the urgent nature of her mission: “If this book serves no other purpose but to sensitize family members of terminally ill patients and hospital personnel to the implicit communications of dying patients, then it has fulfilled its task” (151). In her interview and time spent with Mr. J., the author recognized just how difficult it can be for a terminal patient when they repress their anger.
Chapter 9 Summary: “The Patient’s Family”
The inclusion of the family in the process of death and grieving is essential Family members must take reprieve from the anxiety and sorrow of dealing with a loved one’s death: “Just as we have to breathe in and breathe out, people have to ‘recharge their batteries’ outside the sickroom at times, live a normal life from time to time; we cannot function efficiently in the constant awareness of the illness” (167). It is important that family members take breaks and rest.
Once the patient has died, their suffering has ended, but the family’s suffering will continue. Communication before death is to be encouraged, ensuring that any necessary information and dialogue can occur before weakness or exhaustion saps the patient. When communication is lacking, it can cause suffering for those left behind.
Families need to understand the inevitable detachment of their loved one from even those they have loved the most: “They do not understand that a dying man who has found peace and acceptance in his death will have to separate himself, step by step, from his environment, including his most loved ones” (177). After death, support should be given to those left behind; what is most needed is often receptivity. Individuals should be allowed to express their feelings.
Chapters 8-9 Analysis
Chapter 8 centers the discussion on hope and the intrinsic need for hope that all terminal patients possess. In the absence of hope, the individual wastes away and dies quickly. In the presence of hope, however—and almost every patient possesses it to some degree—life is possible. Hope serves as an anchor that allows the patient to endure all manner of unpleasant, undignified, and painful procedures and tests in the slim chance that some cure or remedy can be found. Equally important is the hope offered by doctors and other health care professionals; even in cases where death is certain, there can still be hope for the unexpected, or that the patient will simply have the strength to last longer than expected. When hope evaporates, it is usually a sign that death is imminent.
Hope is a stronghold in a changing and chaotic world. Continuing to live without hope is akin to living without a driving force. As death is the pivotal moment of crisis in a human life, hope must carry the individual to the other side. Hope can be developed by encouraging discussion of death and suffering in normal, everyday life. Talking about death and dying as an unavoidable and basic fact of life would go a long way toward allowing people to face death in a mature and peaceful way.
It is crucial to offer comfort to the family. To ignore the family would be a grave error in judgment and practice. While the crisis of death is most poignant for the dying individual, the family is left with grief and sorrow. For the dying, death brings release; for their loved ones, it brings a new stage of grief. Many patients’ family members and friends exhaust themselves by keeping vigil by their loved one’s side. Clinicians need to encourage and support their presence. Clinicians also need to encourage family to rest without feeling guilty and to take part in other activities of life.
In the final moments of the patient’s life, the family will also need to be informed that their loved one will feel an unavoidable detachment. This is not a sign that their loved one never cared about them. It is a natural stage where the patient separates from the world in readiness to pass. In this final phase and the days that follow, one can help the family by allowing them to vent their emotions and thoughts. Survivors can be racked by guilt. Grief requires time and processing.
Unlock all 32 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs