Grief (novel) The stages are denial, anger, depression, and acceptance. The narrator, as well as other characters in the story, slowly passes through these stages in trying to deal with death. During the story, the theme of dealing with grief overcomes the narrator, the landlord and Frank. Premature death grief results from the guilt that they try to deal with because of the AIDS epidemic. Many of their friends, for example one named Nick is overcome by the disease. When told about his HIV, Nick “looked like a deer caught in a car’s headlights for weeks... he even chased the doctor who
The Four Stages of Cruelty The Four Stages of Cruelty The Four Stages of Cruelty is a series of four printed engravings published by English artist William Hogarth in 1751. Each print depicts a different stage in the life of the fictional Tom Nero. Beginning with the torture of a dog as a child in the "First stage of cruelty", Nero progresses to beating his horse as a man in the "Second stage of cruelty", and then to robbery, seduction, and murder in "Cruelty in perfection". Finally, in "The reward of cruelty", he receives what Hogarth warns is the inevitable fate of those who start