Grief And Recovery In The Raw Shark Texts

Grief and its complex journey to either recovery or non-recovery is a universal condition long examined in literature. Steven Hall’s novel, The Raw Shark Texts, delves into the complications and impacts of this experience, following protagonist Eric Sanderson as he navigates through the various stages of mourning. Hall captures the intense anguish and desperation of grieving as Eric confronts dangerous creatures that prey on memories, and battles with the ghosts of his past due to severe memory and identity loss. Various emotions, including denial and self-rejection, remorse, fear, rage, bargaining, and ultimately acceptance, are seen throughout Eric’s grieving process. This essay will trace Eric’s progression through these several phases of

Analyzing these perspectives will provide insight into the distinctive portrayal and interpretation of grief and recovery in The Raw Shark Texts.

The novel introduces Eric as he wakes up unconscious on a beach without recollection of who he is or his surroundings. It soon becomes apparent that he is trapped in a web of identities and memories that are slowly pieced together throughout the narrative. In the early phases of his mourning, Eric experiences disorientation and denial as he struggles to fully accept the sudden loss of his partner, Clio. The gravity of Eric’s grieving process is emphasized by his memory loss, which is evident in his inability to recall important details of his life, including his relationship with Clio. As Eric attempts to cope with this traumatic loss and self-rejection, his search for answers regarding his identity becomes intertwined with his desire to comprehend what happened to Clio. Additionally, Eric tends to hold himself accountable as he frequently expresses

Anderson argues that Eric’s fugue state and his encounter with the Ludovician can be read as haunting, therefore making the novel a postmodern ghost story. Reference is also made to the novel’s use of elements common to postmodern literature, such as intertextuality. It is proposed that the novel’s use of intertextuality can be seen as a way of portraying Eric’s encounter with his grief and remorse and its lasting impact. Anderson implies that the Ludovician represents the ghosts of Eric’s past and his incapability to overcome his grief. She notes that the Ludovician can be interpreted as a manifestation of Eric’s remorse and dread of forgetting Clio (Anderson 122-123). Therefore, it is also argued that the Ludovician serves as a metaphor for the destructive power of grief; she states, “This will be Eric’s fate if he cannot destroy the shark” (Anderson 123). According to Anderson, the ending of The Raw Shark Texts reflects a resolution to Eric’s grief, although not necessarily a full recovery. It is suggested that Eric has survived his encounter with the Ludovician, but the experience has transformed his identity; he has found a way to incorporate his grief into his life in a way that does not consume him completely. She writes, “Once Eric faces and defeats the shark, or rather