The Exact Moment of His Death by Sharon Olds
"The Exact Moment of His Death" by Sharon Olds is a poignant exploration of the transition between life and death, particularly focusing on the relationship between a father and his child. The poem delves into the intimate and painful details of a dying man's physical condition, portraying the profound changes that illness inflicts on both the body and identity. Olds raises compelling questions about the moment a person ceases to be seen as a loved one and becomes simply a lifeless form. The imagery used conveys a deep sense of loss, emphasizing the emotional journey shared by the family as they confront the end of a life that has been intertwined with theirs. In the final moments, the speaker reflects on how, after the father’s last breath and the confirmation of death, there is a swift transformation from a cherished individual to mere physical remains. This work invites readers to contemplate the fragility of life and the complexities of human connections during times of sorrow and mourning, making it a meaningful piece for those grappling with loss or seeking to understand the nature of death and remembrance.
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The Exact Moment of His Death by Sharon Olds
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1992 (collected in The Father, 1992)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
“The Exact Moment of His Death” is another poem from the narratives of The Father; in it, Olds examines the strange mystery of the dividing line between living and not-living. At what point, she seems to ask, does the dying man change from being father into being mere inert flesh?
The poem opens with a series of painful details about the physical state of the dying man; he has been so changed by his illness that no one would recognize him. Nevertheless, it is still the man himself, the man with whom the family has come “so far,” the speaker says, suggesting both the journey of the illness and even more the whole difficult journey of the man’s life with them. When he has exhaled his last breath, “light as a milkweed seed,” and the nurse has listened to his heart to confirm his death, for a moment he remains the speaker’s father. Then, in an instant, he seems to change, “as if the purely physical were claiming him,” and in that instant, he ceases to be the father and becomes part of the “unliving . . . matter of this world.”
Bibliography
Dillon, Brian. “’Never Having Had You, I Cannot Let You Go.’” The Literary Review 37 (Fall, 1993): 108-119.
Kirsch, Adam. “The Exhibitionist.” The New Republic 221 (December 27, 1999): 38.
Lesser, Rika. “Knows Father Best.” The Nation 255 (December 14, 1992): 748-750.
McGiveron, Rafeeq. “Olds’s ’Sex Without Love.’” The Explicator 58 (Fall, 1999): 60.
“Sharon Olds.” The Writer 114 (April, 2001): 66.
Swiontkowski, Gale. Imagining Incest: Sexton, Plath, Rich, and Olds on Life with Daddy. Selinsgrove, Pa.: Susquehanna University Press, 2003.
Tucker, Ken. “Family Ties.” The New York Times Book Review 104 (November 14, 1999): 29.
Wineapple, Brenda. “I Have Done This Thing.” Poetry 185 (December, 2004): 232-237.
Zeider, Lisa. Review of The Father, by Sharon Olds. The New York Times Book Review, March 21, 1993, 14.