esn’t share with his buddies, he writes his loss in a book, this is how he expresses his loss. These are two ways two different men cope with death. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Patton 113). Men are expected to be the stronger one in a time of grieving. Women are more vulnerable in times of death, but men try not to be. Men try not to be vulnerable because they fell it lessens their masculinity. Men feel that showing their feelings is a sign of weakness, therefore the try to act more “manly” by not shedding tears. Men do not want to look like “less of a man” or feel “inferior,” so they cover up what they are feeling only to let out small bits and pieces. What men don’t see, this is their death pill. By “bottling-it-up” inside they die away slowly but fade faster than they should. It does not weaken a man to be more of a man, but it weakens them to hold what should be out…in.In the book Pastoral Care Emergencies by David K. Switzer, Switzer introduces a person whom he calls Parkes. Parkes developed stages of grieving so that it may help determine where a man is at during his grieving process. The first stage is numbness and denial. This is a stage of shock, numb, and acting like the loss hasn’t happened. Stage two is yearning. One often tries to bring the person back in this stage or consider them to still be alive. In stage three, Disorganization, the symptoms in stage two are fading away and one might have the “no future” feelings. And the final stage reorganization of behavior. As the feelings of grief fade, one has a better outlook on life or the future. A man might not feel some or all of these stages, but it is a great look at how people in general grieve (Switzer 102)Men show their feeling in ways different than women. This does not mean that they do not grieve. Men do grieve. My pain was...
