When Death Comes

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1991

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Engagement Over Fear

For many people, the thought of death can stultify their connection to the present moment. They cannot think ahead because all they see is their inevitable nonexistence. In “When Death Comes,” the speaker argues for the opposite, suggesting that instead of being frozen by the recognition of mortality, one should use this knowledge to spark greater connection with the world and the people in it. Engagement should win out over fear.

When death inevitably arrives, the speaker notes how they “don’t want to wonder / if [they] have made of [their] life something” (Lines 24-25). They “don’t want to find [themselves] sighing and frightened” (Line 26). Instead, they want to make sure they are “married to amazement” (Line 22) and have taken permanent residence in the world rather than having “simply […] visited” (Line 28). In other words, they hope they have committed to life. They don’t see death as merely “that cottage of darkness” (Line 10), but another vital space to be curious.

This spurs the speaker into thinking that there is no great change awaiting them in the afterlife, but that it will serve as a continuation of the space they live in now. The speaker reasons that, in turn, one must “look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood” (Lines 11-12). Everything is so connected by the sheer idea that it is all fated to die that “each life [is] a flower” (Line 15), “each name a comfortable music” (Line 17), and “each body a lion of courage” (Line 19). This radical empathy allows the speaker to see that everything is “precious to the earth” (Line 20) and accept that their engagement with their surroundings must be heightened. If a person can engage with life rather than fear death, then death can heighten the joy of living.

Happily Ever After

Folklore and fairy tales oftentimes hinge on how an inexperienced hero gains knowledge. This usually occurs on a journey through some unknown landscape (like the woods) when some terrifying, strange creature shows the hero something about life. For example, Snow White learns self-sufficiency by engaging with the evil queen’s jealousy. Likewise, to confront mortality, Oliver’s speaker is placed into a novice position and the “hungry bear” (Line 2) serves as a catalyst for a new way of thinking. “When Death Comes” borrows fairytale elements to discuss the benefits of recognizing human mortality.

The opening stanzas borrow from the fantastical. Death is heralded as a “hungry bear” (Line 2) with “bright coins [in] his purse / to buy” (Lines 3-4) the speaker’s life. This aligns the subjective death in the poem with other mythic figures of death like Godfather Death; Charon, the mythological rower of the River Styx; and the Grim Reaper. The enchanted atmosphere is also enhanced by the description of the afterlife as “that cottage of darkness” (Line 10). This imagery helps to show that although what is beyond the woods is unknown, it could still be a comforting, small space. This feeling is confirmed later in the poem when the speaker says they “consider eternity another possibility” (Line 14).

The thought of the bear and its alignment with death makes the speaker commit to fully enjoying life in the woods, to find it magical. The close proximity of death suffuses the world in wonder, and “amazement” (Line 22). Without the realization of death, the speaker wouldn’t decide to be the world’s “bride” (Line 22) and be carried over the threshold of “amazement” (Line 23) by the “bridegroom” (Line 23). Without the catalyst of the “hungry bear” (Line 2), the speaker wouldn’t change their perspective, shifting to see “everything / as a brotherhood and a sisterhood” (Lines 11-12). Thus, the bear-like harbinger of death moves the speaker into the realm of present happily-ever-after.

Comfort in the Resurrection and Renewal of Nature

Mary Oliver was known for her comforting imagery of the natural world, which can be seen in “When Death Comes.” When contemplating death, the speaker finds renewal—not finality—which is shown in both the image of the bear and in the correlation between humans and natural objects.

That death itself is natural is shown by its personification as a “bear” (Line 2). While bears, especially “hungry” (Line 2) ones can be perceived as frightening, bears are also a symbol of resurrection. Since bears hibernate during the long winter, and seemingly come back to life in the spring, they often symbolize renewal. Just as the bear lumbers out of its cave after its sleep, the speaker will “step through the door [of death’s cottage] full of curiosity” (Line 9). This shows that they naturally continue into a new phase, rather than suggesting obliteration or doom.

This symbol of resurrection allows the speaker to, after confronting death, return to their world, and look at it in a more naturally empathetic way, observing it with “amazement” (Line 22). Other people are seen as natural, likened to “flower[s]” (Line 15) as well as “lion[s]” (Line 19). Each unique personality is like “comfortable music in the mouth” (Line 17), and all are “precious to the earth” (Line 20). Viewed in this way, the world, and everything in it, becomes natural and holy. The speaker can see that everything is connected like “a brotherhood and a sisterhood” (Line 12) and is renewed. This eliminates feelings of “sighing and [fright]” (Line 26), allowing the speaker to feel fully a part of the process of the world while they are alive.