40 days of the soul...what religion are we talking about here? What war is being referenced?
Why is this family so secretive that they will resort to lies about health issues? Is your family like this at all?
Her grandmother clearly knows that the narrator is lying to her. Why doesn't she press harder once she knows this?
What's with all the drawings and portraits of the dog?
What does the fact that the parrot spouts poetry tell us as readers?
Why do Barba and Nada allow the diggers to stay at their house? What does this tell us about them?
Why doesn't Natalia tell Zora about her grandfather's death yet? They are supposed to be BFFs.
44 comments:
This family is so secretive they will resort to lies because they don't want other family members to know about the issues some members are dealing with. I feel as if there is some tension between the family or some things are being held back for certain reasons. A lot of families do this and it actually happens very frequently. I don't think it is a very wise idea to do because someone will end up hurt in the end. My family as I know of has never kept anything from another or lied due to health issues. Personally I believe lying about a family members health issues from another family member isn't morally right. Also, even if they don't want them to know for a certain reason. Once the narrators grandmother knew she was lying to her she didn't press harder because she probably has an idea that she kept it for a certain reason and hopefully a good one.
In the Epilogue, Natalia is not afraid of tigers after witnessing he attack for many reasons. When someone loves animals, and maybe understands them on a deeper level, they will realize that not all animals are like that. Secondly, her grandfather's reaction definitely helped. He was not to sympathetic because he felt the attack was caused by his own stupidity. Natalia still loves tigers, and since she loves them so much, she knows they have boundaries. When someone sticks a body part into an enclosure, chances are something unpleasant will happen. In conclusion, Natalia is able to love the tigers instead of fearing them because of her natural compassion and understanding for them.
The chapter of “The Coast” begins with an introduction of the 40 days of the soul. This is a belief that the soul of the deceased roams on Earth for 40 days to revisit the places of its living life. After some investigation, I realized this is a belief of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which makes sense considering the setting of this story takes place in the Balkans where Eastern Orthodoxy is common. The narrator Natalia shows that, despite the time the story takes place, the idea of the soul roaming for 40 days is still practiced. Natalia mentions how upset her grandmother is when hearing about the death of Natalia’s grandfather a few days after it occurred. According to Natalia, “[f]or her, the forty days were fact and common sense,” (Obreht 8). Basically, this quote gives a little look into the personality of Natalia’s grandmother, revealing she is a woman rooted in tradition. This might be a hint that her grandmother’s belief in superstition might play more into the book in later chapters.
I am just going to throw a wild guess and say that war might be a reoccurring theme throughout the book. In just the first chapter, there is a constant mentioning of a war, yet it is never specifically said what war it is. Once again, after some investigation, I might have come to a conclusion of what war it might be: the Yugoslav Wars. Let me explain my answer. First, as I said earlier, this story is set somewhere in the Balkans. Yugoslavia used to be a socialist nation made up of several current Balkan countries, so the location matches up. Also, there is reference to modern-ish technology such as mobile phones and pagers. Considering the Yugoslav wars took place in the 1990s, the time place also seems to match up as well. Finally, Natalia states how, before the war, borders were practically meaningless, but now they are strictly enforced. This could be a reference to how before the Yugoslav Wars, the Balkan countries were practically united underneath Yugoslavia. However, afterwards, these countries become distinct and separated from each other, which could result in enforced borders. To summarize, the war constantly referenced to in this chapter is mostly the conflict that arose in Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Just as this event influenced the way Eastern Europe is today, there is a chance it could shape the events of this novel as well.
I don't think it is a good idea to lie about health related issues. Even if your just trying to protect someone so they are not worried, I still think your family deserves to know what is going on. This family is so secretive that they resort to lies about health issues because they are not very open with each other. My family is not like this at all, we are all very close and wanna stay informed about what is going on. When her grandmother clearly knows that the narrator is lying to her she doesn't press harder once she know this because she know that she will never obtain the full truth.
With the attack by the Tiger, she was still really young, thats a lot to take in. Seeing your favorite animal attack a person right in front of you. It's a lot. But when you love an animal, you don't just change your mind after seeing one bad thing about them. They are wild animals, they have instincts, and you can't be mad at them for that. My favorite animal is the elephant. I have loved them since I was little, and it was a love passed down through my mom, much like the love for the tigers were passed down from her grandpa. You can love animals for so many different reasons, and one flaw isn't enough to stop that. If I were to see an elephant attack a person, yes, I would be upset, but one incident doesn't define the whole species. They are gentle, intelligent, and loyal creatures.
Every family has their secrets. This family just has a difficulty of talking to them about their health, and theres nothing wrong with that. It's their business to tell the people the love what they want to. I understand that they are keeping that from them and that they could get them help, but it's their business. My family personally doesn't keep any secrets, especially medically. But all families aren't like mine, and thats ok.
After witnessing such a horrific attack, one would think that a girl of that age would forever be traumatized. I agree with Josh and his take as to why the girl continues to love tigers, despite what she saw. She's able to understand that what happened is part of the animal's nature and is still able to lover tigers after that.
It is quite obvious that the narrator is lying, yet her grandmother doesn't push the matter any harder. I think it's because she doesn't want to have to force the information out of her. I think the grandmother wants to see if she'll cave and tell her on her own.
I think it says a lot about the bond one has with a certain animal, that even seeing a love one being attacked by that animal doesn't ruin the love you have for it. I also interpret this as part of Natalie's character in a way. I don't see her as being a very emotion character, and see her more as cold and logical, in this respect you can see how someone like her wouldn't hold a prejudice towards an entire species because of one event. I also find myself relating to Natalie more so then the previous book's protagonists which I'll probably explore in later comments. All I have to say is I'm excited to find out where the book goes from here and see how the conflict with the grandmother gets resolved.
I think that every family has their own line of what is shared and what isn't. Personally, I am a very open person and those who I am close with know that about me. I think that a reason that some families aren't open and why her grandma didn't push was to limit the pain. It's real, it is there, but sometimes you know something is happening but try to avoid talking about it. You try to pretend it isn't really happening. It isn't really your life. I also agree with Lauren though! Maybe her grandmother is completely aware that she is lying but is hoping she will eventually spill the truth, if and only if she doesn't push her.
In regards to not telling Zora, I think Natalia is still trying to figure of what is going on herself. She seems to have been close with her grandfather knew about his health issues, but didn't know about the last few days of his life. Once she has a better idea of what happened and isn't busy helping kids, I assume she will fill her in.
Reading through this book so far, I find it very interesting that the family has the tendency to lie to one another about their health issues. It strikes me as even more interesting, though, that is it EVERY member of the family- not just one. It's a tendency that each of them follow, and I can only assume that it was a learned habit. Did it start with Natalia's grandfather? Or Bako, her grandmother? Either way, I don't think that it's a wise idea to lie about things as serious as one's health. I understand that lying is inevitable and maybe even necessary at certain points in time, but lying about a physical state or serious condition seems wrong. In the long run, it only makes things hurt worse when they do find out- Bako makes that pretty clear. She had no idea that Grandfather was sick, and she is absolutely devastated at his passing. If he would have told her he was sick, she could have had more time to prepare, and probably would have cherished the time they had remaining more than she did. In personal opinion, I think that withholding that kind of information is, in a way, selfish. Yes, it is a matter of circumstance, but generally speaking, it seems like that kind of secrecy is usually born out of self-interest or self-preservation. It seems to me like Grandfather didn't tell anyone but Natalia about his sickness because he and Natalia are so much alike that he knew she wouldn't try and stop him from doing anything or going anywhere.
I think that this family is so secretive about their health conditions because they don't want to stress and worry the others. They don't want others to baby them and constantly fuss or feel bad. If the members of the family are unaware of the illness, they can continue living carefree and in bliss. Because of this family's "habits", Natalia's grandmother was unaware that her husband was very ill. After the new of her husband's death, Natalia's grandmother realized that Natalia was lying to her about not knowing of any illness and why Natalia's grandfather went to Zdrevkov. Natalia's grandmother probably didn't press harder after realizing that Natalia is lying because the secret was made for a reason. The grandmother understands that she wasn't told certain things for a reason and that Natalia will reveal the secrets when necessary. In regards to revealing the situation to Zora, Natallia didn't tell Zora about her grandfather’s death because she believed that Zora would force her to go home and she [Zora] would walk to Brejevina with the medication by herself. Also, if Natalia wasn't willing to her own family about certain issues, why would she tell a friend.
After witnessing a tiger attack, Natalia does not fear tigers. During the attack, people ether rush in to help the man being attacked, or they turn away. However, Natalia's grandfather watches and does not turn Natalia away from the graphic scene. The man who was attacked passes by them and her grandfather says, "My God, you're a fool, aren't you?" (6). It might seem like Natalia's grandfather has little compassion for the man, but he knows the tiger was provoked. If the man wasn't such a fool to reach out and touch the tiger, he would have never been hurt. When Natalia says, "He's a fool, isn't he, Grandpa?" (6), she is acknowledging that the man's actions had consequences. At four years old, Natalia learns the attack was the man's fault, not the tiger's.
The reason why Natalia's grandma doesn't press more on the explanation of grandpa's illness was because she doesn't want to get hurt even more knowing how long the secret has been kept from her. Natalia and her grandfather were very close during Natalia's childhood and after the war, and in order to keep grandma happy they kept his illness from her. If Natalia's grandmother kept pressing and did eventually find out the truth behind it, then she would feel like she just watched as her husband died day by day. After going on after the discussion on the phone grandma just told Natalia the date and said show up if you care.
In the epilogue, Natalia is only four years old, yet watching the tiger attack doesn't seem to phase her at all. I think she isn't affected as much because she was so young. Yes, she was very smart for her young age but, seeing something like that is hard to comprehend especially at only four. I also believe that she gauges her behavior off of her grandfather. He has a very strong outward character about the situation and although he says what a fool the man who has just been attacked is, he still goes after him to make sure he is okay. It is clear to see that Natalia looks up to her grandfather in a way different to everyone else around her. To me, it seems she is still able to love tigers just as much, if not more, than before. This is because she is able to see all the different sides and characteristics that make up a tiger. Natalia is able to learn more about her favorite animal even though the situation isn't ideal for learning.
In the epilogue, Natalia was the affected by the tiger attack from her grandfather because I think she is smart enough to know that the tiger didn’t attack just to do it. There was a reason, and I agree with Courtney because when you love an animal just as much as she does you find a way to always think positive about that animal, and the tiger will never do anything wrong. I feel like it is most common now a days that family members keep secrets from each other just like in this book. Life is crazy, and everyone I feel like is always worrying about not disappointing their family members and just want them to think all is well and healthy. When just like in this book, her grandfather is struggling with his health and he doesn’t tell anyone. I think all family members should be open to each other because even if it is bad news they can deal with it together and not struggle with the problem alone. In my family it is all open and everyone knows everything, and sometimes I feel like they know a little too much but I think that is good because they can help you in bad times and celebrate with you in good times.
I agree with Courtney. I think that the tiger's attack may have been traumatic for her to see, but at the same time, it wasn't enough to turn her off of them forever. You can't judge an entire species by how one of them behaves. You also have to take into account that animals have instincts and humans need to respect that. Reading that section, I got the sense that Natalia was very intelligent for her age, so she probably understood this concept and she wasn't too surprised with how the tiger behaved.
I believe that Natalia didn't tell Zora about her grandfather because she wanted more time to process everything. It was somewhat expected, because Natalia had known he was sick, but when someone you are close with dies, it's a lot to process. I probably would've done the same thing in her situation. I'm sure Natalia will tell Zora when she's ready, but first she needs some time to herself to go through the emotions and let herself grieve privately.
The family is secretive about health issues because they want to save one another from hurting. They try to spare feelings as if their injuries are not justified to tell others in fear of inconveniencing one another. It seems as though the family has bad luck in the timing of injuries. Someone is always on vacation or somewhere enjoying themselves. For example, when their grandmother had a major surgery and her daughter and granddaughter were in Venice. I think the family is considerate of one another but in somewhat of an unhealthy way. I see that they are coming from a place of kindness to conserve any hurting, but I'm sure not many would appreciate the late notice of what has happened to their loved when when or if it is too late. What if the grandmother died during open heart surgery? It would surly ruin their vacation if they received a call letting them know of what had happened. Although the family being as kind to one another in this aspect would not mind a ruined vacation. All of their worry and hurt would be placed on their lost loved one. My family is like that on a different level. If there was something non life threatening, I'm sure the accident would stay unsaid to another on a vacation somewhere. But if it were something larger that may result in the loved one dying, everyone would know, to be considerate of their wanting to say goodbye.
When Natalia saw the attack, though she was only four, I think she was able to understand why the tiger did what it did. It also seems that she bases her opinions strongly off her grandfather, and he called the keeper a fool.
I did notice it was interesting that Natalia's grandmother didn't press harder but I think it was because part of her didn't want to know. Maybe it would have hurt her to know. She also, could have had an idea already as to where he went. Natalia's family is very secretive, obviously, maybe because they don't want to hurt each other. I think this is a faulty way of trying to save someone hurt because often, secrets hurt worse than just knowing the truth. Natalia will tell Zora in time. i think she needs her time t process and grieve before opening up to someone about the fact that someone she was so very close with died.
Despite how gory the attack was, especially at such a young age, Natalia was surprising calm. I think part of this was because she had grown up with her grandfather, who had taught her so much about tigers. Throughout that time, she had grown to love and understand them more than a normal 4-year-old would. As Josh said, I think the other part of it was the fact that her grandfather hadn't reacted in a bad way either. I think that made her feel as if there wasn't any danger in it, despite the scene. Because of how she had grown up with the love for tigers, she didn't fear them after what she had witnessed. I don't think anything will be able to take that away from her.
The narrator wasn't that affected by the tiger attack because it was something her grandpa wanted her to see. I'm sure it was very traumatic to watch but in the end she knew that her Grandfather was just trying to teach her a lesson. I believe that the family is so secretive about all of their health issues because they don't want their family members to worry about them all the time. They want to be independent and just focus on the positive things in life. In a way my family is like this but we don't lie about our health issues, we just simply find a way to make them better. I think the grandma doesn't push to get the narrator to speak because she knows she will get her top talk in time. If she rushes her to tell then she will have a harder time saying what was really going on.
The family is secretive about being ill since they do not want to worry the others. They want to make them think nothing is wrong, so that they do not worry for each others health and continue on their work instead of stopping to help. My family does not lie about health issues since we want to help them, and be there for comfort when needed. Plus it brings my family closer due to all of caring for each other. But all families are different in the perspective of if they should tell the ones they care about that they are ill, or to pretend that everything is fine.
I agree with Kama, the family keeps secrets in order to preserve the feelings of their loved ones. In their defense I feel this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand you could be making your family's live's better by not causing stress, pain, and worry. It could be a bad thing because most family's want to help each other and would likely help you recover or research how you can fight it. My family keeps no secrets, especially when it comes to health issues. There's nothing more important than family.
Natalia seemed very calm during the tiger attack because she knew so much about them. Her grandfather had taught her so much about tigers that she knew about their nature. She might've been a little surprised at first, but quickly realized that it happens sometimes. Christianity is the religion being referenced in the "40 days" part. It is like Jesus walking across the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. For both people on the forty day journey, they found out who they are - you know, all that spiritual stuff. I believe the family is secretive about their health because they don't want to worry the other family members. Most of my family doesn't do this, because we want to take care of each other and live a long, healthy, happy life.
The family is so secretive with health issues because they don't want the other members of the family to worry about them and have a burden put on their shoulders. Their family looks out for each others well being but, when it comes to something a serious as the grandfathers illness, he doesn't want other people looking out for him. He instead looks out for their well being by not telling them that he is sick. The only person he tells is Natalia. I think that he tells her about his sickness because they have almost always done everything together. Also, he might need somebody to cover for him when hes out doing things about his sickness. My family is not like this at all. We tell each other the big things that happen in our lives. We just never have had to lie to each other about something big. For the most part we just all trust each other.
I think that despite how serious to tiger attack was, her grandfather had a calm attitude about the situation and so she probably felt that there was no reason for her to worry. She is still able to love tigers because she understood that it was through the zookeepers own stupidity that he got hurt. If he had given the tiger the respect it deserved, the accident never would have happened. I think this situation is a good example of how older family members can have such a large influence on the younger children. It also shows the amount of trust that Natalia has for her grandfather.
Witnessing someone being attacked by a tiger is traumatic, but witnessing the attack as a child should have an even greater impact. Even though the narrator is a child, she seems to not be affected by the scene she witnessed with her grandfather. I believe her grandfather's presence gave her the strength to not be scared during the attack. Her grandfather is also the reason why she does not fear tigers after seeing a man's arm in the jaws of such a strong animal. After the attack, the narrator's grandfather said to the keeper, "My God, you're a fool, aren't you?" By hearing her grandfather say these words, The narrator knows the attack was the foolish man's fault and not the tigers fault. She understands the attack was purely an accident and her love for tigers does not fade.
I think the narrator isn't traumatized because of how cool and collected her grandpa was. Young kids often react based off of how the adults react to a situation. The 40 days of the soul sounds like Hindu or Buddhist to me but I'm not religious so it could be literally anything. It sounds like the war the narrator is referring to could be the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Perhaps the family is supportive towards health issues because they care about each other and don't want each other to worry. I am like this with my family. One thing I have noticed throughout the chapter is that there is a lot of blue – blue china, blue shutters, blue paint, etc. And with all the paintings of the dog – that's just something old retired people do.
I feel that Natalia family is so secretive about health problems because they don't want to cause someone they love to be stressed or hurt. The war being referenced is the Bosnian war , and the religion being discussed is Christianity. The parrot spouting lines of poetry from old epic poems shows that Barba Ivan and Nada were both educated and literate. I feel like Natalia's grandmother doesn't continue interrogating Natalia for many reasons. One, Natalia's grandmother trusts her, and realized that her husband's illness was kept secret for a good reason, and that Natalia will eventually tell her about her husbands illness. The other potential reason is that if both, Natalia and her grandmother, kept on fighting about the secrets kept, either of them would say something out of anger and threaten the stability of their relationship.
The religion referenced is, I believe, some orthodox Christianity and the place the story takes place is definitely some Eastern European country. I believe it might be Bosnia, Serbia, Poland, Hungary, or Russia. I also believe the time might be around the 1990's which is why I believe it might have been Bosnia or Serbia, since the early 90's were host to the Bosnian War and in the late 90's the Kosovo War/Conflict. Now I have strong belief that it is Serbia because the book was referencing a line or border of some sort which I believe is the Serbia/Montenegro line. I believe the tension of family and health concerns is because it's one of these Eastern European states and their culture dissuades them from sounding weak so they don't want to admin their problems. I know someone from Hungary and this type of culture is super prominent in Poland and Russia. He has visited these countries and told me about it so I believe the same thing may be going on in this family
The narrator, at least at the time, clearly looked up to her grandfather and trusted in his beliefs. He does not turn away from the tiger attack, and she doesn't either, knowing that it was something he wanted her to see. When he calls the groundskeeper a fool for letting himself get mauled by the tigers, she echoes him. This, in addition to the fact that the tigers are so tied into her love for her grandfather, could explain why she is so unaffected by the attack.
The religious practice referred to in the first chapter is a tradition of the Eastern Orthodox sect of Christianity popular in Eastern Europe. The forty days of the soul are very important in this religion, as it is believed those are the days a soul remains on Earth before moving on, with the family performing certain rituals to ensure safe passage. Knowing that this practice is common in Eastern Europe, particularly the Balkan Peninsula, it can probably be inferred that the war referenced throughout the chapter is probably the Balkans War- a war between the nations that were formerly Yugoslavia. This would explain the "new borders" that the narrator references.
I don't think that it is fair to the rest of the family if families members lie about their health. Your family deserves to know what is going on. Don't pretend like everything is fine, that will only lead to making matters worse. If you are honest about your situation and condition, you are much leads stressed out. If you keep lying and saving secrets, the stress can only make your symptoms worse. Thankfully my family is really open about how they feel all the time, no matter the severity.
The narrator at the beginning of the story is not really phased by the tiger attack. Natalia does not really have a big reaction to the whole situation. She realizes that the tiger is an animal, and just like every other animal, they have their instincts. She understands that they do things that she might not be okay with, but she still loves them. They are a part of her life no matter their demeanor. She also realizes at a young age that it wasn't the tigers fault, sure tigers have their instincts, but the instance was the man's own fault, not the other way around. She could have believed that it was the tiger's fault, but her grandfather and her love for tigers helped her to conclude otherwise.
I think that Natalia's grandfather hid his illness from his wife because he did not want her to worry or treat him any different. I can see where he is coming from to a certain extent, but I do not believe that he should keep something so serious hidden. His wife cares about him and keeping her in the dark was cruel. My family does not keep large secrets like that, and we are pretty open about any obstacles we are facing. I think it is ethical to keep your family updated about your life, and support and guidance is always important.
The story of the tiger attack gives a lot of insight to Natalia and her grandfather's personalities. Natalia sees her grandfather as a role model from a young age and even mimics his judgement of the zookeeper. However, Natalia's grandfather embraces the old saying "actions speak louder than the words." He first labels the zookeeper a "fool" with immense disappointment but then offers the zookeeper medical attention. Through this action, the author demonstrates Natalia's grandfather's moral conduct.
In response to Natalia's grandfather's decision to keep his illness a secret I do not have any personal experience with. I cannot understand keeping such information in the dark. In my family we share everything, maybe too much at times, with one another. Nonetheless, maybe this was Natalia's grandfather's way of protecting his family. He would have rather them continue their own lives and enjoy time with him rather than count down his death.
n times of war or suffering, people tend to minimize their issues because their world is already hectic enough through no fault of their own. The last thing someone wants to be is the source of more suffering for their family, whether emotionally or financially (i.e. medical treatment costs). I'm not sure this family is secretive for the sake of hiding things from one another; they most likely conceal issues so they are not a burden to anybody they love. Especially in the case of the grandfather who died of cancer and his wife who knew nothing of his diagnosis, I believe he was trying to not cause her pain so he could support her in any way possible until his last breath. This ties into why the grandmother didn't press when she saw through the narrator's lie. The grandmother didn't want to cause pain for her granddaughter because she suffered enough protecting the grandfather's secret, and I don't think the grandmother wanted confirmation of the lies so she could pretend her granddaughter never lied to her about it.
It's definitely not the way things should have been handled, but in a time where life is hard enough, lying can feel better than truth.
Natalie isn't really phased by the Tiger attack- rather, admirably apathetic. I just watched The Fellowship of the Ring (the book's better but movie is still awesome), and in the movie, A cave troll ends up squishing a bunch of Orcs trying to kill Merry and Pippin. It was semi-comical. Nonetheless, the analogy being that the cave troll was on the orcs side, but it was still a wild beast with its instincts- that's why it was being led by a collar of spiked iron and chains. Then stuff happens, no spoilers, but nonetheless the analogy seems pretty bulletproof. Also, can I just say- Ironglove, Boro's Beefs, and Bis- all awesome names. I find Bis particularly funny because the slavic word for pancake is Blin. Learned that from video games, or rather, the vast amount of Russian-based EA servers.
I believe that the family is so secretive because they don’t want their family members to worry about them. My dad's side of my family is so secretive about their health, it's ridiculous. My grandparents both have a bunch of health problems and since they live in Florida we rely on them to keep us informed but they don’t like worrying us with their health. Not to go into specifics on their problems but they give us less than a week's notice if they were to have any procedures or anything else serious so that we don’t have enough time to get down there in time to be there for them. It’s happened a few times where serious news slip from other relatives down there when they talk to us and then my grandparents get angry that we know because they didn't want us to.
I believe that Natalia was not more affected by the Tiger attack because she had a deeper connection with tigers than most people. I believe she loved the tigers and that wouldn't change even through a tiger's mistake. Tiger's also act on instinct which I believe she saw as a reason to not blame the tiger. The 40 days of the soul, I found, is a belief of Christianity specific to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. This makes sense as the time period of 40 days is reoccurring throughout many Christian beliefs such as the flood and Jesus' temptations in the wilderness. I also believe that the family keeps medical concerns private for the sake of their relationships with other people. I believe they don't want people to feel bad for them, but I also believe they don't want people to treat them differently because they feel bad for them.
In relation to what Madelyn Birmingham had posted, I disagree with thinking that lying about any serious condition is not the best way to handle a situation. Personally, I believe that your body is your body and is your own sacred temple. Who you allow to know about it and affect it is up to you. I believe that her grandfather had done what he had thought was best for the family. I see no reason to believe otherwise. On a personal level, I've been told,since I was a kid, the conditions of dying and suffering loved ones before. Honestly, I wish I wouldn't of been told those things because, in the end, it didn't even matter. Given time to prepare for something as serious as death doesn't make it any easier. Being aware of it only causes more stress and can, in a way, create a suffering among loved ones that are waiting for the passing of another.
Her grandfather is secretive about his health issues because he doesn't want his loved ones to see him as weak. I have plenty of relatives who also act as if they are still strong or act independently even though they are in need of help. People, especially older males who were raised to be strong and centered for their families, find it hard to show weakness and vulnerability. Natalia keeps the news of her grandfather's death from Zora because Zora herself is currently going through a lot and was hoping to speak with Natalia's grandfather.She needs time to process the news herself before telling her best friend as well. I feel like it should also be said that the narrator isn't more affected perhaps because of the way her grandfather reacted, not with horror, but just seeing the man as foolish and the attack as an inevitable outcome.
I think it's foolish that the family keeps health secrets from one another. I can somewhat understand why, however, because a member of my family has done something similar recently. A while ago, a close family friend of my grandmother's was diagnosed with skin cancer, but chose not to tell us until just a couple days ago. He chose that, because he said he didn't want to worry us. In the long run, however, it only hurt us more because it made us feel like he didn't trust us. I can definitely understand why their family doesn't share medical issues, but I do think it will be toxic and unhealthy for them in the future.
I think the narrator is unaffected by the tiger attack because her grandfather is there with her and she believes that nothing bad will happen to her when she is with him. Also I think that seeing the attack makes her less afraid than she may have been before. After you have seen a scary movie twice, you are less afraid of it the second time around.
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