Mrs. Laureen Batchelor
American Literature II
April 7,2013
The Dead and the Gone
Life can offer many dark and twisted challenges to an individual. A life can change from a single decision; and, perhaps a part of life, becomes accepting one’s own decisions…right and wrong. In The Dead and The Gone ,by Susan Pfeffer, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales faces loss, remorse, and death when an asteroid collides with the moon and chaos erupts in urban New York City. Assuming both of his parents have died, he now has to care for his two younger sisters, Briana and Julie, taking on unimaginable responsibilities in this thrilling novel. The Dead and The Gone has made me question how I would react in this situation. In one of the most compelling parts, Alex allows his sister to join a convent out in the country. I have two little sisters, and I doubt I could split up our already broken family. At the convent she develops asthma, and her asthma will eventually lead to her untimely death. Of course, Alex shows I would become depressed knowing I could do nothing to save her no matter how hard I tried. It made me wonder how far I would go to save my family if I was in the same situation. I noticed that throughout the novel Alex never loses faith and through his faith he finds hope in the most unnerving situations. I have never been religious like Alex but the book made me change my views on religion. I started to see that religion relies on faith and through faith he finds hope. Without hope, Alex would have never stood a chance. The value of friendship becomes a prominent theme in the last few chapters. He finds a friend, Kevin, who helps him earn money through the disturbing task of ‘body shopping’ where they take items off the people who have died in the street. I would feel guilty stealing; even if they were dead. If I absolutely had no choice I would definitely resort to this to save my sisters. However, Kevin dies when a tree branch impales him. Alex grieves the loss of his true friend and I would too. I definitely value friendships more than I use to because of this part. Why do freak accidents happen to the best people? The Dead and The Gone certainly changed me as an individual. I learned to love the small miracles on the account of the uncertainty life holds. Maybe if everyone read The Dead and The Gone life could bring people more enjoyment. Alex always despised his sisters before he lost one. Kevin becomes his one true friend yet he loses him before he realizes how much he meant to him. Of course, the most important thing to me in this novel becomes never losing hope. I believe that hope whether through religion or sheer perseverance keeps an individual alive.
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