Introduction
As the adage goes, ‘…two things are certain in this life: Death and Taxes.’ Although one can escape the latter, the former is like a change, it is inevitable, and inasmuch as people continue to hate it, they must encounter it anyway. Everybody has an assigned day of answering his call of death. Following this certainty, playwrights, and filmmakers, to mention a few, have resolved to address the subject of death. The majority of the poems and narratives commonly read feature death as among the author’s themes. Such is the poem Everyman, where the author qualifies in presenting the theme through the way he strategically allocates the different roles to his different characters in his endeavor to reveal the mystery behind death. Everyman is a poem composed in the late sixteenth century featuring characters like Everyman, the protagonist, Death, Fellowship, Cousin, Strength, and Knowledge, among others. Everyman suffers the death penalty from God and wants to find people to convoy him as he goes to answer the call of death. Death has the power to perform the sentence. As the poem unfolds, it stands out that many are willing to join Everyman in his journey to death although it is only one, who makes it to the end of the journey: Everyman. The rest could not escape the sentence passed by Death, regardless of their efforts to bribe him. The issue of death as per the author’s perception comes out clearly from this episode. For instance, death is powerful.
Author’s Perception of Death
Death as per the author’s opinion is almighty. It has been bestowed by God the powers to pass sentences to all people. This concurs with the bible teachings about death that “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb. 9:27 NIV). These words depict every person mortal: he/she has to die one day one time. Dying as per the quote is not the end. It opens the opportunity for one to face the awaiting judgment. In this poem, Death appears as an allegorical, rather than a real character, that the author strategically incorporates within his poem to help him present his theme of death. All people come before Death in obedience to his summon. It does not matter the rank or wealth of any person. All people respond to him without hesitation. The powerful Death boasts of its rank because even after the mighty kings and wealthy men present bribes to him to gain some additional days, he declares them useless and unacceptable although he has the power to accept them he cannot allow that. For instance, when Everyman appears before him, he is heavy laden with “…jewelers and wealth… all of which… are refused by Death (Bhattacharjee, 2010, Para.1). Therefore, it suffices to infer that death is almighty, just like God, in that its powers exceed those of any other person, regardless of rank and wealth. All the author’s characters respect him and obey his orders without questioning why. As commonly observed, those in power tend to be bribed to do a favor to the powerless. To illustrate this, Everyman recognizes the supremacy of death in that he can manage to present pay-offs to him. Hence, according to the author is powerful. Death too is a reminder according to the author’s perception.
The fact that death marks the end of the life of everyone here on earth reminds him/her of the need to nurture good behavior throughout since judgment waits thereafter. In addition, it stands out that after the judgment, one either goes to hell or joins paradise, the destinations of which people understand their corresponding conditions. Funny enough, all people want to join paradise, but few remember the need to portray behavior that will make them worth the place. Therefore, death comes to remind them that it is only their individual good deeds and of others, which will tell whether they qualify for heaven or not. For instance, in the poem, Parker (2008) points out that, “The Death in the play becomes a reminder about the necessity to pay for all good and bad deeds committed by Everyman during his life” (Para. 2). Often people fear death owing to the fact that it disconnects them from their beloved friends, parents, sons, and daughters, to quote a few, but this is not always the case. This stands out in the poem. When Everyman goes out looking for people to escort him towards Death, he gets many of them who join him for the journey. However, fear of death fills them, making them give up the journey one at a time. According to them, death is an enemy that is not worth thinking about. However, the author does not feature it as so but as a reminder. The presence of Death reminds Everyman that he/she has a limited life and he/she has to nurture vigilance as far as his/her deeds are concerned. This reminder makes Everyman substitute his bad deeds with the good ones, a take that qualifies him for paradise. The reminder too prepares Everyman to face death courageously rather than with panic. It also equips him with the wisdom of discerning what is and what is not worth doing as far as getting to paradise is concerned. Therefore, death has its positive side. Death stands out as a messenger.
Treatment of Death
The author of the poem treats death as a messenger from God to his people. It comes with a warning that if people end up choosing to do against the will of God, they will in no doubt suffer for eternity. The bibles questions, “…for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 NIV) The poem kicks off with a speech by Jesus addressing the issue of his death on the cross to bring salvation to people. This episode features death as a vital experience that can save the world of its transgressions. Therefore, as Jesus died on the cross to bring people back to terms with their creator, the fact that the world is wicked calls for another messenger to warn people prior to judgment. MacDonald (2009) says, “God sends Death to Everyman to send him on a journey to…” (Para. 6). Since God loves his people unconditionally, whether wicked or righteous, rich or poor, and/or young and old, he hates seeing them suffer because of their evil deeds and therefore resolves into warning them by sending Death, just as he sends the angels top warn the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, in the poem, the author perceives it as a herald who warns people of their evil deeds. Were it not for this messenger, then the world would be deeply founded on wickedness. It suffices for the reader to infer that Death, as a messenger helps people straighten their ways if at all they want to face judgment courageously and without fear. All people in the poem, but Everyman, are afraid of what will come out after judgment since they gave up doing what is right unlike Death, who is the only character whose deeds spare his life during judgment. Death is treated as a person rather than a communal experience.
As the poem unfolds, death is a personal experience. One cannot share the pains or joys of death with other people. One person only feels whatever comes out of it and inasmuch as people yell or cry because of death, none can explain the feelings of the dead. The claim is evident from the poem right from its beginning. For instance, when Death receives the mandate to pass sentences, Everyman happens to be the first person. He then struggles to win the hearts of people purposely in need of their company as he sails towards death. Many of them accept to join him but unfortunately, they begin to give up one by one until Everyman is left alone. Therefore, suffices to conclude that if death were not a personal experience, then these people would accompany Everyman up to the end of the journey. According to each, this is Everyman’s turn and he ought to face death alone and come every other person’s time, he/she will too face it in person and not as a group. Death too comes out as a positive, rather than a negative thing.
Many are the times people talk negatively about death as being unfair as well as being an enemy. This might or might not be the case as the author features in the poem. Biblically, Christians have it that it was because of the death of Jesus Christ that salvation entered the world. Lazarus of the bible too declared death as better than the kind of life, he was living and truly, it was the case because after his death, he secured refuge in Abraham’s bosom where poverty, sickness, and hunger were no more as it was when he was alive. The author of the poem represents such a scenario where death is a savior and not an enemy. When Everyman seeks for people to accompany him towards Death, they betray him leaving him alone in the journey. Since he knows where he is headed to, Everyman chooses not to surrender, like his false friends. The poem features him as the hero, who does well from the beginning up to the end where he it becomes certain to him that he cannot miss eternal life, as promised by God. In fact, Hughes (1999) asserts, “Having fought a good fight, he longs for, rather than fearing Death.” (p.14). Therefore, one can picture death as a positive thing long awaited only by those who do as per the will of God, otherwise a foe for the evildoers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the author of the poem Everyman qualifies in presenting the subject of death, following the trigger, that it has it has in the minds of people. To many, death is a hated thing that deprives people of their best partners and worse off it comes untimely. However, building on the authors views as presented by the various allegorical characters, death is an almighty, a messenger, a personal experience, and more so, a positive thing that many long for. The author wishes that people change their attitude towards death and view it as a friend rather than an enemy.
Reference List
Bhattacharjee, R. (2010). In “Everyman” What is the Author’s Perception of Death? Web.
Hughes, J. (1999). I have fought the Good Fight. Web.
MacDonald, G. (2009). Life and Death Themes in the Sandbox and Everyman. Web.
Parker, N. (2008). Everyman and Gilgamesh. Web.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.ISBN 0-19-528478-X.