The Human Experience
Fear and pride are two very powerful human emotions. Sometimes, those emotions can help an individual get through tough situations, whereas other times, they can hold one back from experiencing all they need to experience. In “Death Knocks,” by Woody Allen, Nat Ackerman’s pride and fear allow him to escape the clutches of an almost certain Death. Throughout the story, Nat is skeptical of the character Death, because his pride and his fear of what happens after death do not allow him to believe that Death is a true entity.
One of the main causes of the skepticism Nat experiences is his own pride. At the start of the story, Allen gives the reader a paragraph of staging that describes the appearance of Nat’s room. Nat’s house is a “two-story house, somewhere in Kew Gardens” (1280). From that first sentence, it is shown that Nat lives in an upper-middle class environment. The importance of this lies in the next statement that tells the reader that Nat has a “big double bed and a large vanity” (1280). Nat is very proud of his appearance and his home. Nat’s room is also “elaborately furnished and curtained, and on the walls there are several paintings” (1280). It is clear that Nat takes care of his home and is very proud of it. From the large vanity to the elaborate furnishings and pictures, Nat’s pride seeps through every angle of the setup. The types of decorations and furniture show that Nat was absorbed in himself and what he thought he had accomplished.
The character called Death in “Death Knocks” is a very relatable character. From the beginning, Death is portrayed as a normal man in society. All throughout the story, Nat never really believes that Death is who he claims to be, because of how relatable he is. For example, Woody Allen describes Death in the staging as a “somber, caped figure,” with “a black hood and skintight black clothes” (Allen 1280). Death is also “like Nat in appearance” (1280). Furthermore, as he enters the room, he even “huffs audibly and then trips over the windowsill and falls into the room” (1280). Falling into the room shows how clumsy Death is, and that he is a fairly pathetic person. As anyone would, Nat is expecting a powerful, scary figure to be “death” and not some average, clumsy man. Nat views himself very highly, and therefore he cannot believe that such an unworthy person is presenting himself as the all-powerful death incarnate.
Not only is Nat’s pride evident in the staging, it is also evident in how Nat speaks. Every time Death brings up something that could insult Nat, he defends himself with proud remarks. Death asks the simple question, “This is a nice place. You do it yourself?” (1281). Nat proudly responds by telling Death “We had a decorator, but we worked with her” (1281). Nat was making sure Death understood that, even though Nat and his wife hired a professional decorator, they could not just leave it all up to the decorator. They had to work with the decorator to make sure that the house was as appealing as possible. Nat is very proud of his appearance, and because of this pride, he feels even more skeptical of the average-looking Death character.
Nat’s pride is not only wrapped up in the appearance of his things, it is also evident in his societal accomplishments. Death throws an insult at Nat’s occupation which, in turn, insults Nat’s pride. Nat feels that because he “sent two [successful] kids through college,” “make[s] a beautiful dollar,” “drive[s] a Chrysler,” and gives his wife whatever she wants, that he is better than other people (1284-85). Nat feels that Death should just take “some guy off the street,” instead (1285). Because of this pride, he feels as though he is underserving of death.
The element of pride also parallels into the character Death. After Nat talks about all of his accomplishments, Death reminds Nat of what he said earlier in the story. Death’s pride was hurt in the beginning when Nat could not believe that Death was the impersonation of death. Death responds with “what’d you expect—Rock Hudson?” (1282). Nat further insults Death by telling him that he should be “taller” (1282). This was brought back to Nat’s attention when Death asks Nat, “you didn’t you say you were disappointed in me?” (1285). Nat and Death both have the element of pride in them. Because Death has that element of pride, and the element makes him seem even more human, Nat is further skeptical of the reality that Death is the entity that will take his life.
Although pride is a strong reason for Nat’s skepticism, fear also plays a role. Both Nat and Death have fear. Nat is not afraid of dying, but he is instead fearful of what happens after death. He just “merged with Modiste Originals,” and therefore he cannot just die and leave it all behind (1282). Nat is also afraid of what will happen to his soul after death. Death makes it sound like there is some kind of life after death, but never clearly says any definite information about it. Nat asks several times “what’s it like?” (1283). Death responds to Nat’s questions with “you’ll see” (1283). Because of Death’s ambiguity, Nat becomes increasingly more skeptical of Death. Although Nat is afraid, Death is, as well. Going back to the beginning, Death is “shaking like a leaf” (1280). Death is afraid of his physical body because he is still “liable to get gangrene” (1282). Death and Nat seem to be afraid of two different things. Nat is afraid of what will happen to his business and his soul after death, and Death is afraid of harming his physically dead body. Both of those fears contribute to Nat’s skepticism. Nat is skeptical because Death will not talk about what life is like after death, and Death’s fear of his physical body makes him seem even more similar to a normal human.
Although Nat experienced both fear and pride, he was never too entrenched in either of them. Because he never fully gave in to one or the other, he was able to out-smart Death and beat him in a game of Gin Rummy. This victory allowed him more time in life as well as showed the reader that time is more important than possessions or societal standing. The fear and pride empowered him to defeat his opponent, even though the opponent was so very similar to himself. Nat never realized the similarity between himself and Death, but he was still able to secure at least one more day in the world. Most individuals fear death as a whole, but Allen mocks it by making death more human. This shows that humans should treat death, not as a nightmare waiting to happen, but simply as part of the human experience.
