The Inevitability of Death

The inevitability of death is a recurring theme that haunts Valencia and Mrs. Valentine’s lives and steers their decisions. Both women think about death frequently and these thoughts begin to dictate their actions. Valencia actively avoids doing anything that could increase her risk of dying, but still acknowledges that accidents are pretty much unavoidable despite the extent of precautions she takes. Mrs. Valentine seems to think of death as more of an accepted inevitability, due to her old age and the number of her peers who have already passed. This perspective allows her to try something new in the end of the novel when she finally decides to get over her fear of airplanes.

Krause begins the novel with a declaration about Valencia’s fear of death. She states, “Valencia didn’t think about death too often. If anything, everyone else thought...