A Brief Study Of Eagleton’s "Death Of Man" From A Literary Perspective

Eagleton discusses death based on the premise that ‘a man is deliberately designed to be mortal and his death is inevitable’.He states that a man’s life is the expectation of death,and people survive with death.Eagleton reviewed a variety of forms of death in literary work,and initiated discussions on real life issues.The first form is the death of ‘the scapegoat’.Eagleton took Lear in King Lear and Oedipus in King Oedipus as the main objects in the discussion.The word ‘scapegoat’originally refers to those exiled or killed in the ritual of taking the responsibility of others,and it appears as continuous torture in the literary works.On the one hand,the role of the scapegoat gradually forms self-redemption through torture and pain;on the other hand,he also reveals and redeems others.Through analysis and comparison of "atypical scapegoat",Lear,and "typical scapegoat",Oedipus,Eagleton pointed out that the tragedy of the scapegoat is a preview of everyone’s death,and everyone can find a piece of himself in the face of scapegoat.The second form is the death of people "refuse to die".Eagleton took Martin in Pincher Martin as the main object in the discussion.Eagleton believed that death is an inevitable,and all the attempts against it is futile.The psychological activity of "rejecting the dead" in literary works reflects a dilemma that a man over-exaggerates his will and falls into depression.Eagleton regarded death as a manifestation of the meaning of life.He explored the religious cognition of death and criticized the guilty of those who "refuse to die ".The third form is the death and murder of "Drunken".Eagleton took Adrian in Dr.Faust and children in King of Flies as the main objects in the discussion.People view death as a punishment and try to paralyze themselves in a "drunken" state."Drunken" ignores the consequences of killing others,and temporarily loses the fear of death.The origin of Eagleton’s death argument will be discussed at the end of the thesis,along with its strengths and defects.Eagleton’s "death narrative" developed the scope of literary theory.It has a milestone significance to examine the relationship among death,evil,and life.His concern about death in reality is also highly commendable as critical thinking from the perspective of a scholar.