Elsewhere

            When I was in kindergarten, my grandfather died. On valentines day. I was young and didn't really know what was happening, but it is all a faded and blurry memory. Now that I look back, I feel worse. And a lot of thoughts went through my mind, like doubt, worry, anger, and remorse. It really seemed impossible to me, for him to die so suddenly. Like an electric shock; painful but quick. The surge of energy on one spot, going up your spine, but then in a rush like it's taking over my whole body. Holding on to you, not wanting to let go; but all at once, it drops and is totally gone.

            The book Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin is about Liz, a 16 year old girl who was involved in a hit and run, resulting in her death. Similar to the quick electric shock, she had to leave everything behind without notice and "live" the rest of her death on an island called elsewhere. On elsewhere Liz realizes that death is not much different from living. The author uses symbols like the ship she was on, the binoculars she used to watch her family with, and an old watch she got from her father, to express the main character and her feelings while she had to cope with her own death.

            The first symbol is the S.S. Nile, the ship that Liz was on that brought her to elsewhere. The ship represents how Liz had to go through a long journey before she could full accept that she was dead. Although Liz was sailing for a long time with people she didn't know (who were also dead),  she thought it was all a dream. While on the S.S. Nile Liz meet Thandi, a girl Liz's age and she thinks that Thandi is also another part of the dream she is having," 'Besides, Thandi, what else are you supposed to do in a dream?' Liz places her hand on the doorknob. Someone somewhere told Liz that she must never, under any circumstances, open a door in a dream." (First chapter of Elsewhere). Liz couldn't realize that all the strange things weren't a dream. Even when she was separated from her family and she knew that they were very far apart, she imagined it to be very easy to go back. A person who loses someone important sometimes feels like it was almost impossible for that person to no longer exist physically. This was how Liz was feeling about herself. The journey that the S.S. Nile took across the water symbolized the long track of emotions that Liz felt, thinking it was all a dream, but was really her death.

            Another symbol is the observation deck and the binoculars that Liz could look through to see her family and friends. She could see them but they couldn't see her. The binoculars represented how she couldn't let go of her past. To look into the binoculars, you would use one eternim (elsewhere's currency) to watch for five minuets. After going to the observation decks for a while, Liz really wanted more time to see them. Betty (her grandmother) really worried about Liz staying at the observation decks: "'Betty, I could use a couple more eternims a day.' 'How many did you have in mind?' Betty asks, 'I was thinking, maybe forty-eight a day'...'It's not the eternims, I just worry about you spending so much time at the observation decks.'" (part:II in book) Liz was sulking in her past instead of living in the present. Similar to how a person would be mourning and detached from the world around them. Like they are trapped alone. But in truth, she was never alone. In ht beginning, she spent more than half her day, each day sitting at the binoculars, watching the life she used to have. She couldn't stop visiting the observation decks, but with the help of her family, friends, and herself, she eventually let go of her old life on earth, only keeping the memories inside of her heart. The binoculars symbolized Liz's attachment to her old life and what she used to have.

            The last symbol would be the old watch that Liz owned on earth. As she died, she couldn't bring it with her and left it on along with other things. Her father had given it to her when she was younger. She treasured it and kept it with her all the time. It symbolized her grief like how a person feels like it was their fault that a person died. She felt that there was more to do in her life, like prom, getting into college, marriage, or getting a job, things that you want to do when you get older. But she would never be able to do so. Liz was truly concerned about her watch and that it on earth, especially since it meant a lot to her.  She thought that her father would be mad to see that the watch wasn't running. (A short time before she died, the watch had stopped and she didn't get to fix it.) She wanted to fix it because it was precious to her but never got the chance. The watch represents how Liz felt that she didn't finish what she wanted to do with her family and left too early.

            The author's use of symbols subtlety showed how Liz felt and what was going through a person's mind when he/she experiences death, especially when it is very sudden. Liz goes through stages like guilt, grief, and denial, similar to a person who has seen someone they know die. Death is not uncommon and sometimes, it may seem unfair. No matter how bad things get, there are always chances to make them better. Liz learned to cope with and live with her death. When my grandfather died, it felt like nothing would be the same. Like everything was falling apart. But as death became apparent in my life, (distance relatives, parents' friend's parents, and such) the sorrow that followed seemed to become acceptance, instead of despair; the thought of them moving on, stuck in my brain. Instead of feeling a loss, those feelings and thoughts melded and became a part of me. Acknowledging it, but also accepting it as something which everyone has to face.