Who seems to have suffered the most throughout all the tragic actions that have taken place in the story of "Redemption"?

Reflections

It is highly unlikely that our world was conceived to be perfect. Regardless of different beliefs on who or what was responsible for creating the planet that many billion inhabitants call home, one fact is clear, and that is the idea of nobody being completely faultless. All make mistakes, some correct them and a few do not, while the remainders are completely clueless and careless. However, while most mistakes may be easily redeemed, others have much longer lasting effects, effects that are easily likely to destroy the lives of those whom they are affecting. A perfect example of such a case was Jack killing his brother. The actions of an innocent eleven-year-old boy will live in the hearts of those affected forever, in some instances, even turning forever in a much shorter time by confusing the victims of the aftermath with devastating thoughts of suicide.

While the fact that all the characters of the story, ranging from the five year old sister, Phoebe, to the source of the problem, Jack, and nevertheless, the father, who appears to be the most strongly affected by the loss of his son, seem to be greatly overwhelmed with all that has happened, the question of who suffered the most is inevitable. Could Jack, the character non-verbally accused for committing the crime, be the one having to cope with the most guilt, therefore accusing himself endlessly and leading with the speed of a bullet towards an early grave by toying with the corrupt thoughts of suicide? Could the father suffer more than anyone by blaming himself for not being more concerned with his children's behavior around dangerous machinery such as a tractor? Is Phoebe the one most concerned due to the fact that her brother's tragic death is an early indication of a future that she will never have? Could she be the one not wanting to, but still accepting the responsibility of carrying enough moral support for her entire family? All of the previous were acceptable reasons for why the characters in question may be suffering the most, however, a crucial part of the family was forgotten, that being the mother. The fact that she suffered the most pain will become more obvious after taking a closer look at her. While Jack lost his brother, Dale lost his son, and Phoebe lost her childhood, the mother lost her entire life. She lost her husband, since he is clearly not dedicated to her anymore (he proves that by cheating on numerous occasions), her two sons, one of which died and another who was the cause of him dying, and her daughter, an innocent five year old that will never have a normal future. The mother lost all that she has accomplished in a lifetime of work: her family. The fact that the female species rather than the male species often care for their family more is mentioned by many, and since the mother was that person, losing her family was comparable to losing her life, a devastating situation for anyone who has experienced such a matter (not necessarily the physical part of life, rather the mental and emotional part). It is an extreme flaw of human nature to blame one self for the cause of devastating events that could have more than likely not be controlled by human means. The mother, without a doubt, began reprimanding herself for the past tragedies, thus leading the way for her falling into a deep state of depression of the mind, which can be easily affiliated to losing her life.

In conclusion, an important fact is to point out that while the mother endured most pain, so did the rest of the characters, only on a seemingly smaller scale. After such a terrible series of events, the prevailing topic should be not who suffered the most, rather what can be salvaged from a destroyed family. The real struggle begins after the act of murder turns into a battle for survival. In the aftermath of all that has happened, the devastated characters have to start redeeming their souls. That is the first step in a series of many, and one of the most important ones as well. After an extensive stage of the characters' lives in which they were either blaming God, themselves or others for David's death, the only hope for the future is redemption. A limiting factor is not only the mental strength and being willing to begin the healing process coming from each of the characters, but how they should find the appropriate means to start doing so in the first place. The true tragedy is based on the idea that regardless of the characters' way of coping with the problem and regardless of how great their effort is, eventually all will reach the same conclusion: redemption is hopeless. A clue of that hopelessness comes from the words of Yegudkin, after being asked by Jack if his abilities of playing the musical instrument will ever be as superior as the General's. The answer was shrewd and sarcastic, along the lines of: "Play like me?" and following with extreme laughter, not of happiness, but of anguish suffered by Yegudkin throughout his life. The General's laughter somewhat represents his shedding of tears for Jack, and by doing so, foretelling that redemption is not easily achieved, at least not in this world. Worst of all, Yegudkin speaks from experience.