“Death is a distant rumor to the young” (Rooney). The idea of death is often an afterthought to individuals. One does not simply wake up every day of their life and contemplate their own passing or that of another. “The Road Out of Eden”, a short story written by Randall Grace, is about a group of children that face torment from a bully. The children make a rational decision to end their suffering by murdering the bully, their first encounter with death. The story can be contrasted to “The School”, written by Donald Barthelme, which is about elementary students that encounter death on a regular basis. The common occurrence of deaths range anywhere from simple trees to intricate humans. “The School” and “The Road Out of Eden” showcase how the concept of death reflects fear and uncertainty on individuals evidently through the themes of innocence, grief, and acceptance.
The innocence of a child is pure and should be protected for as long as possible. Children do not usually come across death at such an early stage as they should be preoccupied with the beauty of life. The murder of Joe Ron Fech, the bully, is the exact moment where the
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The children in “The Road Out of Eden” discover the truth about death in such a gruesome way that causes them to struggle with their guilty conscience and have to learn to adapt to their new reality. The notion of death is introduced to the students in “The School” in advance due to a majority of natural causes, making them accustomed to the idea. It evokes emotions of wonder rather than sorrow and they adapt to moving on promptly. The conception of death fundamentally is nothing but individuals fear and struggle with the consequences that follow, especially the youth because they are more susceptible to being