Death and Dying
Death is a normal process of life. From the moment we are born we begin to age until we die. Kubler-Ross formulated a series of stages that a person goes through when they die. First is denial, according to Kubler-Ross it is, “people’s first reaction to news of a terminal diagnosis is disbelief” (Boyd & Bee, 2006, pg 526). Then there is anger, “once the diagnosis is accepted as real, individuals become angry” (Boyd & Bee, 2006, pg 526). From there comes bargaining, “anger and stress are managed by thinking of the situation in terms of exchanges” (Boyd & Bee, 2006, pg 526). Next there is depression, “Feelings of despair follow when the disease advances despite the individual’s compliance with medical and other advice” (Boyd & Bee, 2006, pg 526). Finally there is acceptance, “grieving for the losses associated with one’s death results in acceptance” (Boyd & Bee, 2006, pg 526). Many researchers have found that Kubler-Ross’s stages may not necessarily go in the exact order or have all of the stages (Boyd & Bee, 2006, pg 527).
The movie Wit is a perfect example of the how a person may cope with an impending death. The main character Vivian Bearing played by Emma Thompson has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. She decides to go through experimental treatment and notices that her life is declining. Vivian in my opinion does not go through all of Kubler-Ross’s stages of death. She does go through the denial stage. In the beginning of the movie she seems to not quite accept her illness. That is probably why she decided to undergo experimental treatment. She did not take time to think about how it would affect the remaining months that she has to live. She also does not consult anyone about her illness so that she could weigh the options and begin the grieving process. Once this stage is complete she does not go into the anger stage but rather begins the next stage.
Vivian bargaining stage is not very noticeable through out the movie. She subjects her self to
The movie Wit is a perfect example of the how a person may cope with an impending death. The main character Vivian Bearing played by Emma Thompson has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. She decides to go through experimental treatment and notices that her life is declining. Vivian in my opinion does not go through all of Kubler-Ross’s stages of death. She does go through the denial stage. In the beginning of the movie she seems to not quite accept her illness. That is probably why she decided to undergo experimental treatment. She did not take time to think about how it would affect the remaining months that she has to live. She also does not consult anyone about her illness so that she could weigh the options and begin the grieving process. Once this stage is complete she does not go into the anger stage but rather begins the next stage.
Vivian bargaining stage is not very noticeable through out the movie. She subjects her self to
References: Boyd, Denise, and Helen L. Bee. Lifespan Development. Allyn & Bacon, 2005.