The clip above is from the Supernatural episode "Mystery Spot" and includes a montage of Dean's deaths from the episode (thanks, turvy93!). It's interesting to see a character die over and over in different ways (humorous, even, after the initial one). The episode wants to say to the viewer that even if one anticipates and prevents a disaster, when Fate is ready to claim a life, said life will be claimed. I'm not sure how I feel about predetermined events, but Walt Whitman's poem "Assurances" provides a nice commentary on death's inevitability.
So, let us take a look at things about which Walt is assured:
1. People are looking at him, and he is not familiar with them all.
2. The beauty present in the natural world is present in every being, place, idea..."any iota of the world" (Whitman 562; ll.7).
3. He is without limit and everything else is without limit.
4. His spirit does not conform to the laws that his physical body does.
5. He agrees with T.S. Eliot about the women who talk about Michelangelo at parties (if you haven't read "Prufrock," get to it, guys).
6. He recognizes that this existence and the next existence are two separate experiences during which our senses change, reflecting another realm.
7. People die. Young people die. Bummer, I know.
8. Tragic events will occur and unapologetically claim lives. Brutal and unexpected death is not limited to old white guys who have it coming to them but also to those undeserving of having their lives cut short.
9. Anything can happen - there is a certain supernatural ebb and flow in the world which permits crazy, unexpected happenings.
10. Death is divine and is the only certainty, the only experience connecting all forms of life.
I like the initial contrast of this one. Whitman is aware of who he is, having spent time learning his preferences, fears, strengths, and weaknesses but admits to not being as aware as he would like of others' "now looking faces / I am not cognizant of, calm and actual faces" (Whitman 562; ll. 4-5). Sometimes we react irrationally when (perhaps) judgmental eyes are upon us - we frantically attempt to find some common ground to make a connection. By the end of the poem, Whitman has found the common ground; unfortunately, it is the fact that both he and the lookers will die.
Now, Whitman has made peace with the concept of death. He feels that the next life will be better, or, at least, different. He will no longer be constrained by physical limitation. He, like his art (and through his art), is immortal. If only Sam (shaggy hair guy from the YouTube clip) could come to terms with his brother's death, he would not have to relive it in so many (equally painful) scenarios. No. I get it. Death sucks. We all seek a way to avoid it. Even the most devoutly religious individual is not 100% comfortable with physically dying. It's pretty scary.
I like the fact that the "Mystery Spot" episode presents death as something that is initially unsettling yet quickly humorous. There is a bit of bite to Whitman's poem. He does not sugarcoat the fact that even the perfect, beautiful children with great opportunity in life can die all of a sudden without warning. Tragedy occurs and does not take the time to preserve the women and kids whilst killing off the men who have lived their lives and are at the end of their ropes. Tragedy can and will destroy everyone involved. Maybe there is some truth to the fact that we can cope with death better if we laugh at it, embracing the fact that we are not exempt from fate.
If we are so grateful for the miracle of Life, why are we not gracious to the great leveler Death?
Why does Whitman paint death as something "Heavenly?" (563; ll.32). Let's be fair. He thinks everything is divine. The smallest broken leaf on the arm of a dying flower is divine to Whitman. He did name his life's work Leaves of Grass. I suppose with all of the subtle differences that separate people in the world, there is something to be said for the one thing connecting them all. Death does not show favoritism as politicians do. 100 out of 100 people die. Great track record for the great Reaper. Also, it is peaceful. Whether there is a spiritual life awaiting the dead or simply an eternity of sleep, who could argue with the peace that marches toward us upon the arm of Death?
With that said, I cannot end without justifying my title. Death is a tough concept to explore. Although watching Dean die over and over is pretty funny, he is still a character about which I care. We are never ready to see a loved one die and are never fully prepared to die ourselves. Last week, Joey Feek, great woman of God and brilliant country music vocalist, passed away at the hands of cancer. I did not meet Joey, but she meant something to me. I have hope that beyond death there is a vast realm of beauty and harmony, but it is troubling to recognize the truth - we march toward a ledge and the emptiness beyond with no way to stop.
Sorry that I could not end on a brighter note, readers! I hope that you will take a look at this poem also and absorb some of the peace that Whitman has come to understand.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt, and John Hollander. "Assurances." Leaves of Grass: The Complete 1855 and 1891-92 Editions. 2nd ed. New York: Library of America Paperback Classics, 2011. 562-563. Print.
