Kluger and Death

When reading the first few pages of this book, my first impression of Kluger is that she is not afraid of death and the idea of dying. I was surprised and impressed at her thoughts as a young girl because she was curious to know about things that girls at that age are usually afraid of knowing.
One of the things that caught my attention was her vews on religion. On page 30, she says "the dead set us certain tasks, dont they? They want to be remembered and revered, they want to be resurrected and buried at the same time. I want to say kaddish becuase I live with the dead. If I can't do that, forget about religion. Poetry is more helpful." This passage shows the defiant nature that she has. She has strong opinions about certain issues and likes to do what she believes is right. To her, it is important to honor the dead regardless of your gender because they deserve that respect. This reminded me of Antigone, as she also defied the law in burying her brother in order to honor his death. She says that she lives with the dead because they are forever in her memory. She thinks about her father at random times in her daily life, so to pray for him and give him respect is something that she feels is necessary. She then says that if she can't pray for who the dead, then poetry is more helpful. In poetry, she is able to honor them by writing about their life and how she feels about them. There are no restrictions in poetry.