Death can be very scary for the elderly and young. You never really know how they will react to the event of death. Although inevitable, death can be shocking to some or worrying to others. A shocking and disturbing reality of death is described in two short stories, Used to Live Here Once by Jean Rhys and A Father's Story by Andre Dubus. The way characters in a story react to death is often different from one another. Used to Live Here Once by Jean Rhys in 1976 is about a woman who takes a trip to a house she once lived in, as the title suggests (Clugston, 2010). The story begins at a river and describes the crossing of the river and the vivid details of each stone. Particularly the slippery one which was just as slippery as when it was dry. Once he crosses the river, he travels a very different path than he remembered, for it was an unwisely expanded and unfinished job. Then he found himself in his previous home, which was also different from what he remembered. The obvious changes to his previous house that he noticed were the lack of a tree and a small summer house known as an ajoupa. The main house had a new addition and was repainted. She came across two small children to whom she attempted to say hello. When she got closer to the children and discovered their reaction to her presence, she learned that she was no longer among the living. She was very surprised when she heard this. His journey home seemed much like any journey to an old house until the end, when he learned of his disappearance. This story has an ironic tone. Reading this story is a pleasant and normal trip to an old house. Anyone can have a similar vision when they return to a place from their childhood and find many thin sheets of paper......half of paper......and in the other story they were greeted with disbelief and denial. Although inevitable, death is shocking and troubling to many because it can be sudden, shocking and surprising. Jean Rhys writes that his character has a disconcerting response to death. Luke, the character's name in Andre Dubus' story, is more proactive about the death event even though he doesn't want to believe that is the case. As shown in these two stories, everyone can have a different reaction to death. Works Cited Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Wilson, S. (n.d.). Third person point of view. The craft of the writer. Retrieved from http://www.the-writers-craft.com/third-person-point-of-view.htmlWilson, S. (n.d.). First-person point of view. The craft of the writer. Retrieved from http://www.the-writers-craft.com/first-person-point-of-view.html