“by the River” Not Only Explores the Issues of Grief and Loss but Examines the Ways in Which Characters Cope Through Situations. Discuss.

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Steven Herrick’s free verse novel “By the River” displays the struggles of grief and loss that the characters endure as well as some effective coping mechanism they utilise. Various characters such as the protagonist, Harry and his father display the issues of grief and loss and clearly demonstrate ways in which they cope with it. Harry and his father cope through the death of their mother and wife in different ways. The protagonist has to deal with the loss of his close friend, Linda which turns out to be a great struggle but he manages to survive it. Loss can be felt through death as well as someone leaving your life. Harry experiences this loss through Miss Spencer leaving the town. Overall, this bildungsroman shows the concept of grief and loss and ways to cope through various situations. The death of Harry’s mother in the novel explores the loss and guilt the Hodby’s have to endure and ways in which they manage to live without a mother in their family. Harry’s father is definitely most affected by the death of his wife. He displays the struggles someone goes through after the loss of their significant other. Herrick shows how Harry’s father deals with the situation by the routine of visiting his wife’s grave the “first Sunday of every month” with the boys, who “put on clean clothes and…wear shoes for the only time that week” as a sign of respect and love for their deceased mother. Harry’s father updates her on the recent events in their lives which makes him feel as if she is still there with them. Keith and Harry on the other hand, try not to notice too much that their mother is not with them. The author uses humour to his advantage in order to portray the boys in this way. They have learnt to take over the motherly roles in the house by sharing the chores. This shows the hardships of children not having a mother in their life as well as the fact that the

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