Running head: Stages of Grief Paper 1
Stages of Grief Paper
Name
Grand Canyon University: HLT-302
April 02, 2020
Professor
Stages of Grief Paper
Introduction
Grief strikes the hearts of millions of people every day, whether in the form of failure,
heartbreak or even the loss of a loved one. One story of grief shared in Christian literature is the
narrative of Lament for a Son written by Nicholas Wolterstorff. This is a personal embodiment
of the grief Nicholas is experiencing after the death of his son, Eric, while mountain climbing
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Stages of Grief Paper
alone. In loss, Nicholas found Christ who saved him from his grief. As any Christian could attest,
He is there in the darkest hour giving faith, love, and comfort to each person that seeks the Lord.
Analysis of Lament for a Son and the five stages of Grief
As expressed throughout Lament for a Son, The Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief are
denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. His denial was when he did not accept the
fact that he lost his son forever (Patricelli & Dombeck, 2016). Wolterstorff could not stop
thinking that if his son did not decide to make that trip to the mountain, he would have been still
alive by now (Wolterstorff, 2009). Another stage is anger which was demonstrated in the case of
Wolterstorff when he showed anger towards self, or other people in this life (Patricelli &
Dombeck, 2016) after accepting the fact that his son was gone forever. In this stage of grief,
Wolterstorff had so many questions to his son of why he decided to climb the mountain that day
(Wolterstorff, 2009). After those two stages, “what if” questions span in Wolterstorff’s mind in
a stage of bargaining. An example of one of those questions is “what if his son has died of a
disease not by climbing the mountains alone?” After realizing that being angry will not bring the
dead person back, now it is time for him to stay away from everyone and deal with the loss on
his own way. A common situation in this stage is blaming one’s self which is what happened in
Wolterstorff’s case. He blamed himself for his son’s death, and not being able to protect him.
The last stage of grief is acceptance, in which the person realizes that it is time to cope with the
death. In this stage, Wolterstorff announced the news of his son’s death to his family. He also
told his family to keep going with their lives just like if Eric was still there with them.
How Does Wolterstorff Find Joy After His Loss?
Religion plays a very big role in Wolterstorff journey when seeking happiness after the
loss of his beloved child. His belief of resurrection comforts him because he will definitely be
Stages of Grief Paper
Name
Grand Canyon University: HLT-302
April 02, 2020
Professor
Stages of Grief Paper
Introduction
Grief strikes the hearts of millions of people every day, whether in the form of failure,
heartbreak or even the loss of a loved one. One story of grief shared in Christian literature is the
narrative of Lament for a Son written by Nicholas Wolterstorff. This is a personal embodiment
of the grief Nicholas is experiencing after the death of his son, Eric, while mountain climbing
, 2
Stages of Grief Paper
alone. In loss, Nicholas found Christ who saved him from his grief. As any Christian could attest,
He is there in the darkest hour giving faith, love, and comfort to each person that seeks the Lord.
Analysis of Lament for a Son and the five stages of Grief
As expressed throughout Lament for a Son, The Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief are
denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. His denial was when he did not accept the
fact that he lost his son forever (Patricelli & Dombeck, 2016). Wolterstorff could not stop
thinking that if his son did not decide to make that trip to the mountain, he would have been still
alive by now (Wolterstorff, 2009). Another stage is anger which was demonstrated in the case of
Wolterstorff when he showed anger towards self, or other people in this life (Patricelli &
Dombeck, 2016) after accepting the fact that his son was gone forever. In this stage of grief,
Wolterstorff had so many questions to his son of why he decided to climb the mountain that day
(Wolterstorff, 2009). After those two stages, “what if” questions span in Wolterstorff’s mind in
a stage of bargaining. An example of one of those questions is “what if his son has died of a
disease not by climbing the mountains alone?” After realizing that being angry will not bring the
dead person back, now it is time for him to stay away from everyone and deal with the loss on
his own way. A common situation in this stage is blaming one’s self which is what happened in
Wolterstorff’s case. He blamed himself for his son’s death, and not being able to protect him.
The last stage of grief is acceptance, in which the person realizes that it is time to cope with the
death. In this stage, Wolterstorff announced the news of his son’s death to his family. He also
told his family to keep going with their lives just like if Eric was still there with them.
How Does Wolterstorff Find Joy After His Loss?
Religion plays a very big role in Wolterstorff journey when seeking happiness after the
loss of his beloved child. His belief of resurrection comforts him because he will definitely be
