A Re(Defining) Moment: Eulogizing Good Death in the Face of COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT Master narratives of “Good death” that render the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 fatalities as inherently “Bad” exacerbate the profound layers of grief people are experiencing as a result of the pandemic. This (re)defining moments essay engages autoethnographic writing and eulogy as methods to resist such master narratives. In particular, the author re-stories the loss of Katherine, a beloved one who died of COVID-19 “alone” in a hospital. The eulogy opens opportunities for sensemaking and (re)framing that allow the author and others to move from questioning why our loved ones have to die alone to asking how we resist master narratives of Good death and lonely dying. In particular, the ceremonial narrative counter-stories Good death by exploring alternative understandings of dying alone and through honoring the many ways that Katherine dedicated her life to “accompanying” those experiencing loneliness in the face of suffering.