“I Can’t Go On. I’ll Go On.”: Reflections of a Death Studies Scholar on Grief and Mourning Without End After Watching His Entire Family Die

This essay on mourning without end discusses how the author’s entire immediate family died over a period of six years, making him the sole surviving family member. His sister died in 2018 at age forty-three from brain cancer, and both his parents died in 2022 at age seventy-six, about six months apart. How does a person articulate these experiences of grieving when language doesn’t seem to work? By looking at Judith Butler’s work on mourning, this essay examines the author’s personal experiences of death and grief alongside the concept of continuing bonds with each deceased family member.