Church's Multiple Deaths

Church, the Creed family cat, dies twice—first by a truck, then by Louis's injection—and is resurrected once, becoming a changed and unsettling creature.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

First Death

Hit by a Truck The Accident Church is hit by a truck on Route 15. Jud finds the body and tells Louis. Louis is sad but also worried about Ellie's reaction. Burial Jud takes Louis to the Micmac burying ground, where they bury Church. Louis feels a strange exhilaration. Return Church returns the next day, alive but changed. He is clumsy, smells of earth, and has a vacant look. Louis is horrified.

Second Death

Euthanasia Louis's Decision Louis finds Church on top of Rachel's rental car. He injects the cat with a lethal dose of morphine, ending its unnatural life. Finality Church dies for good. His body is left on the ground. The cycle of resurrection is broken for the cat. Symbolism Church's second death represents Louis's attempt to undo the damage, but it is too late. The cat's presence had been a constant reminder of the power of the burying ground.

Thanksgiving weekend, November 1983

morning after Gage's funeral, May 1984