For example in “Destroying Avalon” Avalon had to face the death of her best friend Marshall who took his own life because of being bullied for so many years and not letting anyone to support him through his tough times. “Marshall is dead” was repeated in the book to emphasize the feeling of grief Avalon faced. In “The Colour Purple” death and loss is shown when both Celie’s children are taken away from her at birth and is given the impression that they where killed. Bullying occurs the day you are born by society determining colours, interest and behaviours that suit the type of gender you are. However bullying doesn’t really show it’s self until we go to school, this style of bullying can be verbal, physical or electronic.
In The Book Thief, Liesel and Rudy both face death; Liesel more so than Rudy as she has to deal with the loss of not only her entire family but also the loss of her best friend. In The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel encounters death in a horrifying way as they both are killed, Shmuel on purpose and Bruno by accident. The theme of friendship within these texts is one of the most important. The friendship between Liesel and Rudy in The Book Thief is presented in a more simple way compared to the friendship that was formed between Bruno and Shmuel. In The Book Thief the innocence of Liesel and Rudy was lost because of the events in the book that they lived through.
Her 2 sons and Mr. Vicars are shortly affected by the plague and as an outcome of the plague they die. As Anna loses her two young sons and the Mr. Vicars that was renting her spare room she starts to build up her ego in order to fight through
As Mary’s brother Laurie ran way from home after the clash with their father Calvin Pye, their mother got sick. Since Calvin was very irritated with his children, life was somewhat lonely for Mary which eventually forced her to get close to Matt. An excerpt from novel as narrated by Kat can exemplify how solitude contributed in fabricating the bond between Kate and Matt: “Mrs Pye was in a really serious state that summer, and that worry about her, coming on top of everything else, was more than Marie could bear alone. So she turned for comfort to matt. If she’d had more friends, or if her mother had had family living near, or if Calvin hadn’t alienated the whole community … then maybe Marie would not have needed to turn so hard, so appealingly to Matt.
He has learned to adapt without her in his life but her memory still influences every aspect of his life. Josie’s loss is different as it happens when she is older and more mature. Josie’s friend John had been suffering from depression and his father’s need for him to succeed. John felt that he had no other choice but to commit suicide so he overdosed himself to end his life. Even though the two characters are at different points in their lives when they experience their loss, both grieve deeply for their loved one.
Observers in the town remark how the once-beautiful Delia has lost her shine because of her abusive husband. A practical joker, Sykes scares Delia fifteen years by using her fear of snakes. Delia has come to the conclusion that she does not need Sykes nor his abuse, particularly considering it is her wages that paid for their home. Sykes is a stereotypical abusive husband. He physically and mentally abuses Delia, takes her income while failing to make his own, and has an affair on the side.
He’s too old and ultimately he is losing his mind. Willy’s constant flashbacks and hallucinations begin to get the better of him. But he refuses to admit what is beginning to happen. Willy’s wife goes to her sons because of their fathers’ behavior. She tells them of the noose found in the basement, and also of how Willy has been getting into car ‘accidents.’ She begins to cry and tell Biff and Happy that Willy may not have been the most perfect father or husband or businessman, but he was a good guy and that “attention must be paid.” Clearly his whole family is affected by Willy’s recent behavior and willy can start to recognize this.
But then everyone sees the woman's husband. They find he has committed suicide because he couldn't take his wife's screaming. Dr. Adams tells Uncle George to take Nick out of the hut. The doc feels bad that he brought his young son and his son had to see the bloody pregnancy and the guy's suicide. On the way back, Nick is curious and asks a lot of questions about the childbirth and the suicide.
Martin, Maureen, Jess, and JJ tackle a set of circumstances that life presents to them and defeat the unspeakable pain with the company and guidance of each other. In A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby exposes the usefulness of friendship, which can be used as a tool through hardships in life. To individuals such as Martin in the story, suicide can be used as an escape route from the problems they have created in their lives. Before making the mistake of sleeping with a fifteen-year-old girl, Martin had a wife and two daughters, a well-paid job as a TV show host, and had a positive outlook on life. He jeopardized all his hard work, and therefore met the full blow of his consequences.
When Willy arrives, he refuses to listen to Biff, which angers him. Happy tries to get Biff to lie to his father, which Biff slightly does. Willy falls into another flashback hallucination, one in which his son discovers his affair with a potential customer in Boston. From that moment on, Biff had never looked at his father the same. Back in the Lowman residence, Linda scolds her sons for abandoning her father back at the restaurant.