The Effects of Loss
Loss – the detriment, disadvantage, or deprivation from failure to keep, have, or get. It is an inevitable part of life, as it is something we all have to go through at one point or another. In the novel The Other Side of the Bridge, written by Mary Lawson, all main characters suffer from loss. This suffering greatly influences their lives and personalities. Ian Christopherson, experiences abandonment, which in return, creates a lot of confusion in emotions for him. Arthur Dunn loses his father and best friend, resulting in immensely impacting his life. Lastly, Jake Dunn, Arthur’s younger brother and polar opposite, is also affected by the death of their father.
Ian Christopherson, the son of Struan’s doctor, Dr. Christopherson, experiences the sudden leave of his mother, which not only affects him emotionally, but his lifestyle as well. Mrs. Christopherson had been Dr. Christopherson’s nurse as well as his wife, so when she left, Ian had no choice but to fill in her spot as his father’s assistant. Ian adapts to this new responsibility quickly, since “he still felt resentful whenever he thought about it, but he didn’t think about it much anymore” (97). This shows how his mother’s leave changes up his day-to-day lifestyle to the point where he doesn’t really mind it anymore. After his mother leaving and Ian seeing the kind of woman she had been all along, he makes it a personal code of behavior to never behave as she had done. For example, “in any tricky personal situation he had asked himself what his mother would have done, and then he had done the opposite. It seemed to him that she was the perfect anti-role model” (208). His mother’s past actions have an effect on Ian’s actions and how he should act in certain situations. This suffering also causes him to see women in a different light. For instance, in his eyes, Laura Dunn used to always be the image of the perfect mother, with no flaws whatsoever. However, after his mother’s leave, Ian’s image of Laura’s
Ian Christopherson, the son of Struan’s doctor, Dr. Christopherson, experiences the sudden leave of his mother, which not only affects him emotionally, but his lifestyle as well. Mrs. Christopherson had been Dr. Christopherson’s nurse as well as his wife, so when she left, Ian had no choice but to fill in her spot as his father’s assistant. Ian adapts to this new responsibility quickly, since “he still felt resentful whenever he thought about it, but he didn’t think about it much anymore” (97). This shows how his mother’s leave changes up his day-to-day lifestyle to the point where he doesn’t really mind it anymore. After his mother leaving and Ian seeing the kind of woman she had been all along, he makes it a personal code of behavior to never behave as she had done. For example, “in any tricky personal situation he had asked himself what his mother would have done, and then he had done the opposite. It seemed to him that she was the perfect anti-role model” (208). His mother’s past actions have an effect on Ian’s actions and how he should act in certain situations. This suffering also causes him to see women in a different light. For instance, in his eyes, Laura Dunn used to always be the image of the perfect mother, with no flaws whatsoever. However, after his mother’s leave, Ian’s image of Laura’s