Divorced, Beheaded, Survived By Robin Black: Children’S Perception Of Life
Children have an intrinsic innocence that naturally expects to discover life as being solely positive. Children are completely oblivious towards subjects such as death and mortality. Children are oblivious to realities that concern loss and dystopia. As a parent, one tries to hide the less beautiful aspects in life, so their child will not come to acquaint the cruel truth of life; that death is inevitable. The question which Robin Black's short story "Divorced, Beheaded, Survived" rotates around, is how far would it be prudent for a parent to go in their efforts to do as such? How far should a parent go in sparing their children from the less beautiful realities of life, such as death?
The protagonist named Sarah, who herself lost her innocent perception of life at a young age when her brother, Terry, passed away. Sarah has now turned into a parent herself when her child, Mark, experiences a similar circumstance. Which method is best in tackling such gruesome realities? Would it be advisable for Sarah to confront Mark with the true, yet less good aspects in life, or allow him to be guarded a bit longer? The protagonist named Sarah though not thoroughly described; appears as a mother who reflects her life as a past-tense narrator throughout the unfolding of events.
The composition of “divorced, beheaded, survived” is based on the media res in the beginning. The short story has a lot of flash backs, and jumps in time. Sarah tells of the present, as well as the past. The structure isn’t chronological, but the author makes sure that the reader can keep up with the action and events that are spoken of. Sarah starts off by recalling the time she as a child played with her brother and other children the act of Henry the 8th and his wives beheadings. “Day after day, dusk really, in the time between school and dinner, in the small, untended yard behind my childhood home where there were fights over who would get to play her. Sarah then jumps to present time where she mentions her two children and the abandoned backyard.
"Divorced, Beheaded, Survived” is built around the death of the Sarah’ brother Terry, and the play they often reenacted with friends “the last months before terry got sick”. The protagonist’s brother Terry catches a terminal sickness, which causes him to pass away at an early age. Sarah describes how they as children were fond of dramatizing the event as detailed and dedicated as possible. As ironic as it may seem, that the children found death to be a thrilling and exotic part of their play, due to the fact that none of them had ever experienced death. Their perception of death changes when Sarah’s brother passes away due to his terminal sickness. Terry’s death causes the other children to stop dropping by their house, resulting in Sarah isolating herself. The protagonist experiences how death and the thought of incoming death becomes unmentionable.
