Summary

Shortly after his mother’s death, Lillian’s ghost haunted Alexie’s dreams. Refusing to interpret her presence as the manifestation of her soul reaching out to him, Alexie interpreted the event as being nothing more than his subconscious playing tricks on him. However, as the ghostlike presence of his mother continued to appear, Alexie was forced to reconsider this display as an indication that he desperately needed to come to terms with the mixed emotions he had for her that had prevented him from forgiving her over the course of her life. Regret plays a significant factor in this journey for Alexie as “grief is a relentless machine” (165). Therefore, in order to overcome the intense emotions he was feeling, Alexie expressed his vital need to forgive his mother and let go of all the anger he continued to hold on to.

Chapter...