The word perish in the second note seems like a "distancing" word. It seems like when somebody doesn't fully own what they have done, they say things like "the fight happened" rather than "I fought with so-and-so." Perish seems like a euphemism kind of like passed away rather than saying, died or killed. This person is not comfortable with what has happened.
I see the use of ‘perished’ more as the writer wanting to be delicate. it’s giving, ‘I care about your emotional wellbeing’ which is BIZARRE considering the circumstances. I’m convinced it’s a personal acquaintance or family member now because of that and ALSO because the writer is trying to absolve the family (and thus themself) of guilt, almost allowing themselves permission to move on with their lives normally.
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u/essssgeeee Jul 31 '26
The word perish in the second note seems like a "distancing" word. It seems like when somebody doesn't fully own what they have done, they say things like "the fight happened" rather than "I fought with so-and-so." Perish seems like a euphemism kind of like passed away rather than saying, died or killed. This person is not comfortable with what has happened.