Fear Of Death In Hugh Maclennan's The Watch That Ends The Night

The Fear of Death

The anxiety that is created when thinking of the future can have a significant and harmful impact on one’s life in the present, even to a greater extent than what might have previously been feared for the future. By worrying less about what is believed to inevitably happen in the future, this damage can be reduced. In Hugh MacLennan’s novel The Watch that Ends the Night, through the many tragedies within the backstories of George Stewart, Catherine Stewart, and Jerome Martell, it is shown that if clung to unreasonably, the brunt of the fear of death can be equal to, if not greater than, the burden of death itself. Signs of this fear of death are shown at several points in the relationships and lives of George and Catherine Stewart. However, each character chooses to react to grim circumstances in different ways. Their reaction towards threats of death have varying impacts on their relationships between each other. The main events of the story ultimately unfold based on how each character deals with the thoughts of losing

Throughout the story, signs of death anxiety are present in everyone close to George and Catherine Stewart. Despite this, every character reacts to this fear in varying ways. It is ultimately how they choose to react to their circumstance which dictates their future. Although there is importance in preparing for the future, by clinging to thoughts of events that cannot be controlled, one may end up producing an even more undesirable outcome for themselves. Therefore, it is better to completely avoid stressing over events that are out of control, as it is how people choose to act given their circumstances which leads to their