In this environment, there is then the idea of death as a journey; "A few deer passed silently behind the mourners. They were delicate, walking across the snow," (Hogan 203). The narration of the passage shows that Lettie is fully aware of this process, and even further, that she respects it. In fact, it seems to offer relief to Lettie. She knows that the order of the world had a new journey in store for Benoit. Here, there is the clear description of her being strengthened by the knowledge nature provides her; "They carried it to the hole in the earth and only when they put it down beside the hole did Lettie's gaze leave the deer," (Hogan 203). The understanding of the way of the world makes it just that much easier to deal with the death of a loved one. Yet, there are some elements which show that this is still a hard process. Benoit will definitely be missed, as the narration suggests with the presence of so many mourners and their...

They loved him, and were there to offer him their respect. Additionally, he is sent off with a reminder of his past life; "He wore his wedding clothes," (Hogan 203). In this, the author provides hints that there will always be pieces of this world that will follow him on his journey. He will be missed, and therefore his leaving is still painful. This is also shown in the style of the actual narration which describes the scene. Here, Hogan uses short, choppy sentences combined with a very effect of sequencing. In many ways, this seems to follow with the sense of loss, and that the narrator may be hiding some grief from the reader. This is interestingly paralleled with the style of the piece being in the third person narrative of an omniscient narrator. This provides a dethatched view of the experience of the story which represents a dethatched view of Benoit's death.
References

Hogan, Linda.…