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Toward the end of the novel, readers experience the nightmare that has haunted Conor. What is the nightmare that Conor has been experiencing? What does the nightmare reveal about grief and guilt? (A Monster Calls)

User Mbr Mbr
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Answer:

Check explanation below

Step-by-step explanation:

A. Conor has a recurring nightmare in which his mother is falling from a cliff and Conor tries to save her. Conor lets go of his mother because she has become so heavy, even though he knows that he could hold onto her for a little bit longer.

B. The nightmare shows how Conor is weighed down by the emotional pain of watching his mother die. Conor has experienced so much suffering, and has tried to avoid it for so long, that he fears confronting his own emotional pain even more than he fears his mother’s death.

The nightmare reveals the fact that when one holds onto grief for so long, it becomes an almost unbearable painful burden, but when one let's go and expresses his/her grief, relief usually comes.

Also, as regards guilt, the nightmare shows that one may usually always feel guilt for the death of a loved one even when there are no reasons to. In the nightmare, Conor can only hold on for so long, but he would eventually let go. It was not his fault, but the guilt still remained.

However, after Conor speaks this truth, the monster is able to comfort Conor; the monster tells him that it is okay, and very human, to wish for the end of pain, and that Conor does not have to feel guilty for his mother’s death because Conor is not responsible for it.

Similarly, speaking up about our grief and guilt will eventually help us feel better.

User Shaun Bouckaert
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