Final answer:
Arnold may have hesitated to inform his family about Eugie's death due to personal grief or an intention to protect them from pain. People cope with death differently, and some families use denial to carry on with life, but the dignity of facing death is an essential consideration.
Step-by-step explanation:
People face death in myriad ways, which is a deeply personal process influenced by a range of psychological, cultural, and social factors. In the context provided, Arnold may have delayed telling his family about Eugie's death due to several possible reasons. He might have been processing his own grief, grappling with the reality of the situation, or perhaps he was hoping to spare his family from immediate pain. Had I been in Arnold's position, I might have acted differently, or similarly, depending on the family dynamics and perceived capacity of my family members to handle such upsetting news.
Considering the provided references, it seems some families like Basil's in the example, choose denial as a coping mechanism to continue with their daily lives. This indicates the complexity in how individuals and families confront the finality of death. Nonetheless, facing death with dignity is an important concept, and in some cases, not facing death until the end is considered an adaptive coping mechanism.