Dead or alive?

Many people wonder if Phonex's grandson is really alive, or if she is just trying to cope with his death. In regards to the story as a whole, this detail is not relevant. The author purposefully made this detail ambiguous to the reader because she knew that it had no impact of the overall story as a whole. With the theme being unconditional love, whether or not the grandmother was doing this deed for her grandson that is dead or alive really does not matter. All that matters is that she would "go to the end of the earth" for this person. A lot can be taken from this story. Granny is a stock character for the parents in this world who love their children unconditionally and would do anything for their betterment. Some people would simply let a loved one suffer from swallowing lye, but this granny went on a trek to seek medicine that would help.