We Were The Mulvaneys Analysis

There is a moment in everyone’s life where the person realises that they don’t go on forever. Life eventually comes to an end and (until someone can put an end to it) people die. For some, it is a saddening moment where all those who hold that person dearly find that their loved one is at the end of his rope. For others, it is a saving grace to all of humanity. Nonetheless, people die, and it is the looming threat of death that encourages people to live life to the fullest. Make an impact and change the world, that is what people strive to do. Yet, up to a certain point, the human is unaware of death and how it is out for everyone. The moment where someone realises that may take years or decades to occur, but when it hits, it hits hard. In the seconds where the realisation first occurs, one can see what a person’s true character is. It is even easier to tell in the world of literature. In Joyce Carol Oates’ We Were The Mulvaneys, she depicts who Judd Mulvaney is through the use of literary techniques such as point of view and syntax. The syntax of the passage in which Judd begins to comprehend death a little bit more shows how this is indeed just a kid with some
As time passes and as the world shifts, people pass away and they never come back. People who are left on the world, now without the others’ presence, must live with knowing they will never get to see them again and that now all they have left is the memories of when their loved ones were still around. Judd Mulvaney has the realisation and through it, the reader is able to see how he is caring and innocent. His naivety is something not to be ashamed of, nor is it something that he should keep. He must learn about death in order to move on and live life to the fullest of his own potential. From here, he can treasure each step, each moment, and each breath, knowing that he only gets this one shot to live. And he