The Fool's Progress

On the surface, death begins with stomach cancer. On a deeper level, Edward Abbey argues that death begins at birth, and there is nothing to be done about it. We are all dying right now. The difference between people is the rate at which they die. Edward Abbey is dying faster than most over the course of his book, but this is not a bad thing, as Abbey postulates that the more one lives, the faster one dies. He lived a lot, and died young. But this isn't a bad thing, because he lived more first. Death is an eminent and natural end, and therefore never begins nor ends.

Crime and Punishment

The life of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov takes one of two paths, depending on the way Crime and Punishment is read. On one hand, it could be taken that he is a sinful, hopeless man. On the other, he could still retain his purity as a superior person who is immune from judgement as a man. For the intent of Fyodor Dostoyevsky as he wrote the book, it is most accurate to assume the latter. With this as the functional assumption, Raskolnikov has not yet begun to die. This is because he has maintained his superiority through confidence in his ideal. Perhaps death begins when one's ideals are forsaken.

Henry IV; 1

Shakespeare's Henry the Fourth, Part One is a commentary on the purpose of life and the beginnning of death because it shows the lives of characters who must live up to the responsibilities vested in them. The characters who exhibit an abundance of life are the ones who are honorable in their intentions to fulfill the duties that they have been trusted with. From this, it can be inferred that Shakespeare in King Henry IV views the moment dying begins as the moment honor and duty are forsaken irrovocably.

Ghosts

Henrik Ibsen's social commentary, Ghosts, addresses the issue of a person and a society living life for the sake of others. According to Ghosts, a person ceases growing and begins dying when their purpose in life does not match what they want their purpose to be. This rift is clearly present when the characters in the play experience acute mental illness. It is implied at the end of the poem that this mental illness is the result of their distance from the true path of their existance, or "the sun." In order to live, in whichever context it may be taken, one must live for the express sake of themselves.

Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex addresses my big question as it deals with the rise and fall of the main character, Oedipus. He begins to attempt to change his destiny as forcast by the Oracle of Delphi, and at that point, according to Classic Greek myth, he has begun to die. According to Oedipus Rex, a person ceases growing and begins dying when they have forsaken their destiny.