Often when a person suffers the tragic loss of a loved one in their life, they never fully recover to move forward. Death is one of the most difficult experiences a person can ever go through in life. Only people with strong minds are the ones who are able to move on, while weak ones never recover from the loss of a loved one. In the novel The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks, the character Billy Ansel, who has lost his family, is the best example of brokenness after experiencing death. Whether it's turning to substance abuse, using memory to escape reality, or using Risa Walker as a sexual escape, Billy Ansel never fully recovers from the deaths of his twins and his wife. This careful analysis of Billy's struggle with death becomes an important lesson for all readers. When faced with tragedies, humans believe they have the moral strength to handle them and move forward on their own, but what they don't realize is that they need someone by their side to help them overcome death. Using unhealthy coping mechanisms only leads to a life full of pain and depression. One of the ways Billy shows his ineffective ways of dealing with death is by using Risa Walker as a sexual escape from his daily life. For example, he shows that he uses Risa Walker to please when he admits, “So instead we said, 'I love you,' and let it go” (Banks 40). Spending time with Risa is a daily escape for Billy. It's the one time of the day where he completely forgets about the bad things that happened in his life and focuses on Risa. Billy doesn't like her much, but uses her for his sexual pleasure after his wife dies. It's not that they love each other, it's more like they need each other because they are both burdened by a strong... middle of paper... who never recovered after experiencing the death of his entire family . Through substance abuse, relationships with Risa Walker, and using memory to escape the reality that his family no longer exists, he proves to be the least successful character in the novel at dealing with death. The new questions then become whether one has ever had such access to overcome the pain, or does anyone want it? Reading about Billy shows us how we shouldn't face death, we learn that what is needed in times like this is someone by your side, someone you can count on and someone to love you, all things Billy really doesn't have. . Most humans don't have someone to help them deal with death, so the responsibility to move forward falls on them. It is up to them to decide whether they want to move on or live the rest of their lives reliving that tragic event.