Post 4 "A Grief Observed" Chapters 1 & 2

Chapters one and two of “A Grief Observed” account for the grief C.S. Lewis experienced as result of his beloved wife’s death. The concept is given that grief is not simply an emotion or feeling experienced within a period of time. Grief is a flood of emotions that may very well be the hardest form feeling to describe in the entire World. C.S. Lewis opens in chapter one saying “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” When reading this I was so impacted as one who had experienced grief from loss of a loved one himself, that I felt the book could simply be summed up in that one phrase. Although is does not end there. Throughout each chapter he continues to address every aspect of grief. One part of chapter one that caught my eye was his realistic approach on loss. The truth is that despite sayings like “she’s in a better place now” his loved one was now as mystical and invisible as God was. In chapter two he speaks further on the concept that her body “went on.” He reiterates that although she may be in a better place it doesn’t change that she is now part of his past. She is no longer there to love him, be with him, or speak to him. In finishing these chapters I came to a conclusion. To write such a passage that seemed not only an explanation of grief but also be a grieving in itself, the writer must have been in a current state of grief when writing it. Throughout chapter one and two, C.S. Lewis is grieving. He is grieving the loss of his wife who had brought him joy for so many years. In no way is this book meant to be a happy one. It is meant to approach the very real not always joyful part of life known as grief. I feel it is a very necessary read as it addresses a part of life many people are afraid to address; grief.