Yet this is a feature, not a bug. Saramago is showing us two ways to face death: the collective way (panic, politics, economics) and the individual way (art, intimacy, acceptance). Both are necessary.
Saramago’s genius here is in the granular detail. He describes a letter sent by the government to a dying man, explaining that since death is on strike, he must simply “continue living.” It is absurd, tragic, and hilariously bureaucratic. Las intermitencias de la muerte - Jose Saramago...
: Hospitals and nursing homes become overstuffed with the "permanently dying"—people who are technically alive but lack health or vitality. Yet this is a feature, not a bug