Like this:

Philippe Aries’ article “Death Denied” was both very insightful and terribly long! However, I took the plunge and managed to get through the lengthy reading.

I thought it was interesting how he used literary examples to back up his claims about how people handle death. He utilised characters from Leo Tolstoi and made reference to Mark Twain and William Shakespeare. I have never before read an anthropological article which derives its evidence from literary works, and I quite enjoyed it. I began as an English major, and this article tied together literature and anthropology. I thought this might be an enjoyable read for anyone doing a double major in English & Anthro. One criticism of using literary figures however, is that they are indeed fictional. The evidence is not historical or factual, but rather is invented by the imaginations of writers. True, writers often depict their own living conditions in the context of their own historical period. However, a fictional story cannot be relied upon as the only evidence to back up an argument.

One part of this article which spoke to me personally was the notion of silence regarding death. It is a taboo subject. My grandfather passed away three years ago, and I have never spoken about it. I was not close at all with him and his death barely affected me – however it definitely affected my dad (whose father it was that passed). There seems to be this tension about my grandfathers death, as my dad never speaks of it, nor of him. Therefore, it has set the norm in my family to react to the death of my grandfather with silence. I have often tried to bring the subject up with my dad, but he appears obviously uncomfortable discussing it. This notion is illustrated in Aries’ article, as he writes about society banishing death.

This latter portion of the article focuses on funeral parlours in the United States. Everything is taken care of by the funeral director, who arranges everything from embalming to the coffin selection. Funeral homes have become businesses. This reminded me so much of the television series “6 feet under”. It is about two brothers who take over their deceased father’s funeral home. It is a very insightful show about the ritual aspects of funerals and everything that happens during the process. The show won a couple of emmy awards and is really quite good – I would recommend it to anyone. It really gives insight on death as a natural phenomena and how we have ritualised it.

Here is the opening credits for the show. It gives an awesome visual depiction of death and the funeral process. It is rich with symbolism & I think really captures the essence of death.

Advertisement