Suicide In The Film Harold And Maude

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” ~ Norman Cousins (Singh). Many fear death and will fight tooth and nail to elude it. There are some who embrace death and live life to the fullest. However, there are some who fear life itself and fear all its trials and tribulations and would rather die than live in the life they were given. This is the case in the film Harold and Maude. Harold falls into the group who fears life while his companion Maude embraces it and lives her life with out any regrets. This essay will discuss death and suicide as well has how these ideas impact Harold and Maude throughout the film. No one knows when their time is up. It is not as if you can draw your death

Although Maude to many would be considered eccentric and is looked down upon, she is what everyone should inspire to be. Looking for the good in everything in life, she lives with the idea that everyone and everything has a purpose and should not have to live their lives confined to red tape of rules and how one should act. From stealing cars and driving them recklessly to the point of almost running over a police officer to planting a tree in the forest in order to give it life again, she lives her life one second at a time. Even the idea of keeping minuscule items is confining to her. She would rather keep the memory then the item. Although her past is completely clear, the little glimpses into her life she why she is the way she is. In the movie when it flashes to Harold holding her hand and you see the tattoo on her arm, it is clear that she has been through a lot and at one-point face down death and that is why she lives life to the fullest. Although it was not confirmed, the tattoo is a clear indicator that Maude is a Holocaust survivor. After possibly being tortured, starved and threatened everyday with death, it is easy to see how she can find the beauty in everything after almost having it all taken away. It also explains why she is so content and accepting of her death because it was her choice, on her own terms and at her own