ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the difference between grief, which is relatively uncomplicated by an impoverished sense of self, and depression, which has lowered self-esteem at its core. James Agee's A Death in the Family remains one of the most poignant stories ever written. This autobiographical work won the Pulitzer Prize for literature. 'In the Gloaming', by Alice Elliott Dark, is a story poised on the brink between grief and depression. Janet is caring for her son Laird, who is dying at the age of 33, presumably from an HIV-related illness. Kate Chopin's The Story of and Hour expresses the truth that seemingly contradictory emotions can nevertheless exist side by side. Alice Munro's story 'Bardon Bus' describes some strengths we can develop in the process of grieving. Interestingly, a character in the story suggests women have an advantage over men, in being forced to live in the world of loss and death.
