Lucy states, "Grief is … such a solitary thing; this is the terror of it, I think." What do you suppose she means by this statement? Do you agree or disagree?
Created: 05/20/22
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I think it means we all grieve differently and No one can really share these exact feelings as you go through the different stages. I liked the analogy Strout made of sliding down a glass building and no one really sees you because they cannot know what you feel, that is a lonely and scary place to be.
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Throughout her life, Lucy found it difficult to share her deepest fears and emotions. It wasn't until the end of the book when she observes that William is suffering and will not allow her to get close, that she understands how selfish it is not to let loved ones share those difficult moments. Yes, grief and other emotions are personal or solitary as Lucy puts it, but as with many things, the burden is less when shared with other friends and family who care.
Join Date: 02/18/15
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Grief is such a powerful emotion and everyone grieves differently. Family and friends can offer condolences,can help you through difficult times, but no one can feel or heal the emotion of a heart breaking. I agree with Lucy that grief is solitary, sometimes it even begin before the loss. That is the terror, no one can feel or grieve for you.
Join Date: 04/14/22
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I have experienced several tragedies, including the death of my husband and two of my three children. My grief during each of these experiences was so overwhelming I did not think I could endure it. When others tried to help or to comfort me, my feeling, was: you can't know what this is like until you experience it yourself. Thus I know how the truth of Lucy's comment that grief is solitary and no one can grieve for you, and that is the terror of it.
Join Date: 01/16/12
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Grief is very much solitary.I think that even if two people share a meaningful loss everyone’s experiences are different making grief an individual thing that can’t be shared. My experience has been that while we might appreciate the expressions of sympathy we have to work it out for ourselves. I don’t believe we get over the loss of a loved one. We just get used to the loss
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Not only does grief differ from person to person, but from occasion to occasion, I think. I've been fortunate to have had very little occasion for grief - mostly the passing of one of my pets. Sometimes I feel silly grieving for them as much as I do (I even cried over an enormous goldfish I'd had for a long time), and tend to think few people understand or can empathize with the depth of my pain.
Join Date: 01/25/16
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Grief is an individual journey. Others may also grieve the loss of the same person, but from a different perspective. When my brother died, my loss was entirely different from my parents’ loss. We all grieved the loss of the same person but yet our losses were very different, and therefore solitary. Not knowing how you’re going to cope and continue through life without that very special person can be terrifying until we figure it out and adjust our life responses.
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