Meghan Daum's Essay 'Variations On Grief'

In the essay “Variations on Grief”, author Meghan Daum losses a childhood friend unexpectedly. Brian Peterson’s passing had a seemingly small emotional effect on Daum. In fact, she doesn’t even feel the need to cry or be saddened by the sudden loss. Daum goes against the norm of how you’d think one would grieve a close friend. Instead of mourning she “decided to create an ironic occurrence rather than a tragedy” (Daum 157). She goes on with her life as if nothing happens. Daum even begins to lie about the events surrounding Brian’s death. She says that the lies are to help the Petersons cope. For instance, Daum was dishonest about Brian’s commitment to becoming a successful writer. In a way, she also lied about his death. She wouldn’t speak