Why do you think people tell their dying friends and family all their secret confessions?

Why do you think people tell their dying friends and family all their secret confessions? What do they hope to get from these confessions?

In the book the characters tell Odette secrets that they have never told anyone else. I think this serves as a way for the reader to get to know the characters even better. I also think everyone trust Odette, especially among the Supremes and their families. I think the only thing they hope to get out of it is some relief from the guilt they feel.

I think they tell their dying friends secrets because they need to tell someone and they pretty much know that those secrets are going to the grave with that person and they won't be exposed. You know what they say - confession is good for the soul.

I think its a way of cleansing and letting go of burdens. But it can certainly backfire!

It eases their pain/guilt. Also Odetta was always spoke her mind and was the glue that helped bind/bond the group of friends through thick or thin.

They must really trust their friends . I prefer to take my secrets to the grave !

I had no idea this was at all common. I can't fathom why someone would even be so self-centered to bother a dying person with such nonsense! When reading this in the book, I do remember taking a second look and wondering why, but figured it was just part of the story (as there were some strange happenings through out!) and didn't again think about it. Odette certainly did learn a lot while all this was going on.

I agree with Suzanne. Why would you do this to a dying friend? Why burden them with your secrets? This was a surprise to me and I would never do that.

Because they are not going to tell anyone! They are cleansing themselves.

I think people do this because when they are facing death, even though it is not their own, things become clearer to them. All the frivolous stuff falls away and they are left with their raw feelings, regrets, and guilt's. I think they see that the person who is dying is also at that point. They see that person as not being judgmental any longer, how could he be, he is about to be judged himself. Also, when they open up that much to another person they create a bond with that person, it is intimate, and it is showing trust.

I don't think they do tell. I think the scarey thing about seeing someone you love die is the way they cling to normal routines and unchanged relationships and shy away from revealing truths that might change that. I thought having them talk to what they believed was an unconscious friend who wouldn't remember was a clever way of having the characters do soliloquies. It was believable but didn't match my experiences.