Don't Let Me Be Lonely Lesson Plan

How is death portrayed in these sections? What does the speaker seem to be saying about death?

The theme of death is pervasive in these sections, as it will be throughout the book, and is portrayed as an uncertain gray area. In the beginning, the speaker explains her childhood confusion over death. She wondered if other people (mainly people on television) were dead. As she grew, this turned into existential questions about her own death. She repeatedly wonders if she is dead and seems unable to answer this question for herself. When her friend is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she wonders if the friend's death happened at the moment her tumor was misdiagnosed....