Death

The author uses death as a motif in Ghosts: A Novel. The concept of death creates an urgency for a character’s actions.

At the outset of the novel, it is established that Anya suffers from an incurable, degenerative disease. The family is moving in an effort to help Maya's quality of life. However, as Leona points out to Cat after Maya comes home from the hospital with the breathing tube, Maya will continue to get worse.

The move at the start of the novel presents the reader with a metaphorical death through the family's move. Cat leaves her friends and school behind, which represents a type of death. Cat must build a new life elsewhere, just as the rest of the family will as well.

It is through Maya that the sense of urgency is established. While everyone has only a finite amount of time...