The fear of death, also known as thanatophobia, has been around since the beginning of time.(Oleson) According to a study, “68 percent of the US population fear death.”(Seth) In “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Masque of the Red Death” the fear of death is present, but it is not the main fear on the mind of the characters. However, the characters’ actions show that they do fear death in their own ways. Overall, the fear of death plays a major role in people’s lives, and will most likely continue to be so for years to come. Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale” contains a fear of death. In it, three rioters make a pact to go and kill Death. This shows that the rioters are afraid that Death will eventually come for them and cause them all to die. They make this…show more content… Some people may fear death because they are afraid that it might be painful for them. Another reason people might fear death would be because they would have to leave loved ones and their earthly possessions behind. However, I believe that a big reason fear death is because they don’t know if there is anything after death. Since they do not know if there is anything they continue to think about it and it becomes a fear in the back of their mind. I personally know a person that has had anxiety attacks because they fear what happens after death. We have had long talks about religion and many other things that may or may not comfort some people. In reality, we will never know what happens after death until we die.
In conclusion, there are many examples of the fear of death in everyday life and in many works of literature. The fact that the works can come from hundreds of years ago show just how everlasting the fear of death truly is. This fear has been around since the first human has walked this earth, and will remain until the last one perishes. Although you may have different things to ease your mind you truly must ask yourself, are you afraid to
