The absurdity of death underlies its grotesqueness – without one, we cannot have the other. It is a challenge to existence and yet a re-affirmation of it, a sway over humankind and a balm to those who are fortunate enough to live on. Through this paper, we will unpack the immensity of the spirituality behind death, focusing first on Bakhtin’s notions of the pregnant death and the cosmic universality of the human body that does not allow for finality. Then, we will explore cultural differences in death perceptions, analyzing Helena Maria Viramontes’ The Moths and Githa Hariharan’s The Remains of the Feast in comparison to the poems of Phillip Hodgins in Blood and Bone to draw a juxtaposition between the presentations of death in these cultures. Lastly, with these examples in tow, we will draw from a gendered analysis of the portrayal of death as an entity, and as it defines the dying female body, proving its construction is re-envisioned generationally. The purpose, thus, is to touch upon the immense spirituality of death, and the universality it holds, signifying there is no end and humanity is as endless as the cosmos.
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