Blood Knots By Virgi Burton

The substantial influence of how individuals perceive grief in sensitive situations is significant. The perception of grief can vary greatly, with some experiencing significant life changes and others remaining in denial, unable to acknowledge the reality of their losses. In the story Blood Knots by Mallory Burton, the author develops the idea that the environment an individual is raised in has a large impact on the way they respond to grieving. In other words, the environment influences numerous factors, especially the response to grief. This ideology is evident in the short story as the way the protagonist responds to her father’s death reveals a glimpse of the environment of her upbringing and how it affected her processing the death of

The protagonist feels like a bothersome child and a stranger in the comfort of her house. She struggles to figure out whether she should go to her father's funeral with her mother and sister or go fishing. “Do you think it’s strange, going fishing? At a time like this, I mean?”. She questions whether her way of remembering and paying respect to her late father would be considered absurd and disrespectful by her family or anyone, as paying respect to your close loved ones by being at their funeral is the societal norm. She ultimately decided to leave the house and go fishing. As she reaches the riverside, a welcoming place that fills her with the memories of her dad, whose hobby was to fish, she is finally able to accept and come to terms with her father’s death. Throughout the whole story, we can see that the shift in the environment was what led to the emotional confusion she had to clear up as the reality of her father's death finally started setting in. Ultimately, it was the influence of the change in the environment, from the house to the riverside where the memories of her father were brought to life, which allowed the protagonist to confront and face her process of grief towards her father’s death, ultimately finding consolation in an unconventional/unorthodox