The Authenticity of Death: A Study of Tillich Existentialism in Lyudmila Ulitskaya’s The Funeral Party

Abstract

While the majority of people regard death as a frightening event, human beings evince a remarkable variety in the ways in which they confront and tackle death. Human reactions to death can range from being terrified to welcoming. This article explores how the protagonist in Lyudmila Ulitskaya's novel, The Funeral Party, handles his being when he is diagnosed with an unidentified sickness and is faced with the prospect of premature death. The present study attempts to elucidate the protagonist's endeavor to achieve authenticity despite his impending death. To this end, this paper scrutinizes the text for his actions and choices on the basis of Tillich's [1] existentialism. The article hypothesizes that Alik achieves authenticity in his handling and confrontation of his death. The data for the analysis are compiled via a study of the extant literature. A descriptive qualitative analysis is performed on the obtained data. The findings of this study validate the hypothesis and reveal that the protagonist does attain his desired authenticity through three significant actions: taking charge of his own choices, fully participating as a member of his society, and demonstrating acceptance by being grateful for his illness.