Dying of Heartbreak.

 

Most people exaggerate when they say they're dying from heartbreak, but maybe that's not the case in literature. Just like every other little thing in literature, illnesses has a symbolic meaning. Heart disease can reflect the lives of characters' to revel the honest truth, since the heart is the organ that is most associated with emotions. Take for instance the story of Gregor in Metamorphosis, the tale about a man that one day turns into a giant roach. After being the caretaker for their family,  with a father who doesn't want to work,  a mother who feels like she can't, and a sister who's going to school to be the next family provider. Day in and out he does nothing but work. His boss doesn't care for him, and neither does anybody else. One day as he is waking up to go to work he realizes something is off. He gets a glimpse of himself to see that he is a human size roach. From here Gregor's life goes from ordinary to horrible. He's boss stops by to see why he hasn't come to work, and runs away from his grotesque figure. His family all shuts him in the room by himself and doesn't let him come out. Slowly Gregor is dying from the loneliness; he went to providing for the family, to them running away from him. His sister tried to bring food for him but over time stopped after an incident he had with the mom. This incident led him to get attacked by his father and injured his spine. He crawled back in his room and slowly allowed himself to die. Most would argue that Gregor died due to giving up, but I think it's deeper. He went from a guy who lived to please his mother, even though he never spoke to her, and him and his sister were hardly close, but he still felt a sense of importance. Knowing that he was the one to provide gave him a sense of belonging, and shutting him off in his room took that away. He already knew that his life wasn't the best, but it was all he had. You could say he died of his heart giving out, but it was really love and purpose that stopped it. Another story you could apply this too is The Notebook. I know it's a chick flick but it has its own hidden messages. Take for instance the old couple that the movie is centered around. The doctors tell the older man, Noah, that his heart is getting worse. Allie, the older women, was dealing with Alzheimer. The doctor tells him they don't know whether or not she'll make it. Throughout the rest of the movie it's revealed that they're a couple, and that he's telling her this story is to help her remember. She relapses and they end up having to take her to the hospital, shortly after the man has a heart attack. They end up dying in their bed together while holding hands. Their death wasn't a result due to their bad health. It was a way for them to cross over to the next life together. These deaths allow an unspeakable bond with the connection to  human's need of love; illnesses and heart attacks are just other ways in literature to show it.