We're not spoiling anything when we tell you that there's death in Surrender since, you know, the story opens with Gabriel on his deathbed. Yet it's not really the narrator's location that preoccupies our minds with mortality—nope, Gabriel and his story accomplish that all on their own. So whether he's lamenting his wait for Evangeline before he departs, or detailing the death-by-hatchet both his parents received, or recounting the day he was forced to shoot his own dog, death haunts the pages of this book.
As for Gabriel's decision to die? Well, we'll let you weigh out the merits of that one for yourselves.
Questions About Mortality
- What does Gabriel think about death? How does his description of himself on his deathbed in the beginning compare to his reluctance to die later on?
- Why does Gabriel will himself to die? What does he think his death will accomplish?
- How is death discussed when Vernon dies? What about when his parents die? Is there a difference between how their deaths are treated, and how Gabriel approaches his own death?
- How does Finnigan feel about death? What does this tell us about how Gabriel secretly feels about it as well?
Chew on This
Gabriel claims to have a death wish for moral reasons, but he's really just sick of living his miserable life.
The fact that Finnigan fears death shows us that secretly, Gabriel does as well, even if he won't admit it to himself.