Is There a Right Way to Grieve?

The idea that everyone deals with grief in different ways is a topic of discussion that continues to fascinate me. For me while grieving a loss it is natural to cry, maybe even sobb. Currently, I am reading a book titled, The Stranger, by Albert Camus in my high school AP English class. A section from my reading that stuck out to me was when the main character, Meursault, visited the room in which his mother's casket was. Meursault’s mother died at an age of around 60 while living in an old people's home, which he sent her to. Meursault made the decision to not have his mother's caretaker loosen the bolts on the casket to view his mother's dead body, instead he sat for hours next to the casket along with other old people who lived in the same “old peoples home” as his recently deceased mother. The group sat together in silence, despite one of the women's faint sobs throughout the night.

Meursault never cried. He did not cry when he first heard the news of his mother's death. He did not cry while spending the night next his mother's dead body. He did not cry at the funeral.

The caretaker restricts the other old people's home guests from grieving how they wish. When explaining to Meursault why his mother's friends will not be able to attend her funeral service he tells him “It’s more humane that way” (page 13). He is dictating how they should grieve and weather it’s good or not for them, they should be able to choose how the mourn the death of a dear friend. It is not fair to restrict others in expressing their emotions in a way they wish. Mourning a loss by crying and by being angry is normal, it is nothing to be ashamed of. I am interested to find out how Meursault continues to grieve and deal with his internal struggles.