Many experts agree that there are different stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are stages that many grief-stricken people must endure to manage life after a traumatic death. The story "The Fly" by Katherine Mansfield contains only a few characters, but those few characters show the different stages of grief. The characters illustrate how different the grieving process is when the circumstances of the death are the same. Mr Woodifield is in a state of depression and may have adopted harmful habits following the death of his son. He only leaves the house on Tuesdays and his family has no idea what he is doing during this time. The narrator states, “Though what he did there, the wife and girls could not imagine.” This indicates that Mr. Woodifield had previously engaged in harmful activities, such as excessive drinking and smoking. Furthermore, the narrator states, “Yet we cling to our last pleasures as the tree clings to its last leaves.” This shows that Mr. Woodifield had some addiction to an object and secretly keeps this pleasure on the days when he goes to town. He smokes his cigars on Tuesdays when he is away from his family. In 1922, when Katherine Mansfield wrote her stories, it was common for people to smoke cigars. However, he only smokes these cigars on Tuesdays, which may indicate that he is trying to hide this from his family; perhaps he does this because of his previous addiction. Additionally, the Chief states, "'This is medicine,'" showing that the Chief may know Mr. Woodifield's past. He tells Mr. Woodifield that this alcohol is the medicine that heals all the pain. After the chief says this, Mr. Woodifield states, “'D'you know.' . . "They won't let me touch it at home." And he looked like he was about to cry." The family doesn't let him touch the whiskey at home because he may have been an alcoholic after his death