Fears about Death

Several of the stories in this collection address fears about death or dying, demonstrating that people’s fear often focuses on death. “Autopsy Room Four,” for instance, deals with the fear that a person will be falsely pronounced dead. In the story “All That You Love Will Be Carried Away,” Alfie considers if he wants to continue living or end his life. In “Riding the Bullet,” Alan is asked to chose if he or his mother should live.

In “Autopsy Room Four,” Howard fears first that he is dead. Then, he fears that he is still alive and about to have an autopsy performed on him. When Howard regains consciousness, he tries to put together exactly what is happening to him: “What if I’m dead? What if this is what death is like? / It fits. It fits everything with a horrid prophylactic snugness...