# O Living Always, Always Dying explained — Leaves of Grass

> Chapter companion for Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

## What happens

The narrator reflects on the continuous cycle of life and death within the self, embracing the process of shedding past versions of oneself to move forward, content and unburdened by what has been left behind.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Immortality

The chapter explores the death of past selves as a necessary part of living, with an acceptance that leads to ongoing life.

### Individuality and Self

The narrator's journey of disengaging from former identities emphasizes the evolving nature of the self.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

Reflects on the burials of past selves and strides ahead, content to leave corpses behind.

## Key lines

> O living always, always dying! O the burials of me past and present, O me while I stride ahead, material, visible, imperious as ever;

I am constantly living and dying; I bury my past and present selves, yet I continue forward, strong and commanding.

_Highlights the paradox of continuous renewal through death of former selves._

> O to disengage myself from those corpses of me, which I turn and look at where I cast them, To pass on, (O living! always living!) and leave the corpses behind.

I want to free myself from the dead versions of myself that I have discarded, and keep moving forward, always alive.

_Emphasizes the act of letting go of past identities to embrace ongoing life._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters/o-living-always-always-dying
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters