Talia Dmitrienko
"OLIVIA That’s my brother’s.
DUKE Why do you have it if he’s dead?”
I chose this passage from Scene 6 of the play because it allows the audience to see the value that Olivia gives to an object belonging to her brother who is deceased. While the audience gets to see the hockey stick within previous scenes, Duke messing around with it in her room allows for a specific focus on the value and emotional connection for Olivia. The audience begins to see Olivia’s emotions escalate as she wants to protect her privacy as well as her right to reminisce and process her grief on her own timeline. Any damage to the item could interrupt her healing process, causing further emotional distress.
Research Question
How can the presence of an object from a deceased sibling impact the grieving process?
When it comes to Hell Weeks, we added the idea of Zack being deceased just a few weeks ago. This decision heavily influenced the writing process, including figuring out opportunities to mention it within the piece and how it can affect Olivia and her friends. One of the most interesting parts of this discovery was adding in the hockey stick,
allowing for an object that Olivia has held onto while she has been grieving. By diving deeper into how it can impact the grieving process, it will give the opportunity to ensure that all of the emotions can be captured properly for the stage.
Central Purpose
In this Research Report, I provide my findings based on specific elements from a scene in the play Hell Weeks. To support my observations are references that include the articles “Transitional Objects of Grief” and “Designing Personal Grief Rituals: An Analysis of Symbolic Objects and Actions” as well as supplementary image references. This research is important because it will offer insight toward the development of the emotions that Olivia experiences when it comes to her grief about her brother Zack.
Main Concept
This research focuses on grief, and how objects can affect the healing process. In the play Hell Weeks, the audience learns that Olivia had a brother named Zack who used to attend the university she attends and he mysteriously passed away due to ‘suicide’. In the particular passage used in this report, the audience discovers that Olivia tries to keep the memory of her brother
alive by holding onto an old hockey stick of his. It is important to look into this relation between an object and the healing process to discover how it can affect Olivia in her daily life, as well as how it could escalate from her unique circumstances. The research dives deeper into the connection between these objects and how it can affect behaviours and other aspects of the grieving process, allowing for the understanding that these items can have more value than we initially recognize.
Central findings
Objects can provide a sense of comfort in the grieving process by allowing important bonds to be maintained. They allow us to feel a connection with others through reminiscing on specific memories. When it comes to grief, “a transitional object can be seen to be a bridge between the conscious and
unconscious and the world of the living and of the dead” (Wakenshaw) allowing the bereaved to still feel a connection with those they have lost. This can be valuable in the grieving process, especially in the earlier stages. When we are grieving, we often try to find something for attachment in order to help with the healing process. This is important as “grief is theorized to be a manifestation of attachment and ensues when a person is separated from an attachment figure due to death” (Goldstein et. al., p. 1), meaning it is our way to try and re-build the bond we had with them in life. This is why objects have certain defining features to be classified as these ‘transitional objects’. These features include: the item being chosen, the item being able to be “excessively cuddled” as needed, and more. When it comes to grief, it is important to remember that it can happen differently for people. There is no one way to deal with these difficult times, as it can be an exhausting process for anyone going through it. Objects can sometimes add on to that stress, as it can be difficult to decide what to do. and that applies to objects as well. When it comes to this challenging subject, “these objects are either respectfully touched/cherished or destroyed. Hence, grief rituals tend to be individual or dyadic, private and unique” (Sas & Coman, p. 561). Everyone needs to take different steps to get through these times, so it is vital to have that respected.