The Dead and the Gone

Religion gives the novel’s characters a means of persevering through the horrors they must face, illustrating how faith can help someone overcome the toughest adversity. Bri is one character who holds to her faith most devoutly. She carries her rosary beads with her—at one point, she “clutche[s] the beads as though they were her lifeline” (264)—and has a statue of the Virgin Mary in her bedroom. When Alex sends her to the convent, she prays that she will find a vocation so that she can turn her life completely over to God. Though Bri becomes ill and must struggle even harder to survive, her faith never wavers, and she strengthens her belief even further through attending Mass when possible and praying often. It is Bri’s faith that allows her to survive as long as she does and to help her brother and sister make it out of New York.

Alex, however, experiences a crisis of faith, as many people facing such incredible circumstances do. Alex’s faith is initially strong and gives him the strength to endure difficult situations such as going to Yankee Stadium in the hopes of finding Mami’s body. Over time, however, his faith becomes secondary to food, and he questions why God should “listen to his prayers […] when a can of tuna fish was more important to him than the suffering of Christ” (182).