Expecting Death

When I first finished this book I was very disappointed with the ending. I wondered how not a single person could die at the end of a book focused on death. I hate to admit this, but I was actually hoping that someone would die. When Jack failed to kill Mink, I expected that Mink was going to kill Jack with the one bullet that was left. Then Mink shot him in the wrist, a non-fatal wound. At that point I expected Mink to bleed to death in the car. By the end of the Nun scene, I was disappointed but unsure as to why. Then came Wilder crossing the street. I thought, "well, this is it, Wilder is going to be the one that dies." I was nervous while reading that scene because I did NOT want Wilder to die. Sadly, Wilder's death was what I was expecting. When he didn't die, I was again disappointed. It wasn't until lecture that I understood why I wanted one of the characters to die. I failed to remember the "all plots move deathward" quote. Professor did an excellent job in class explaining why we expect a book like this to end in death and how without that ultimate conclusion, the rest of the novel doesn't seem to have a plot. Looking back, I realize that the lack of a conclusion is what makes this book great. It forces us to think about death in a way that gives meaning to all that came before it.